Sins Worth Breaking
by MonMonCandie
Summary: As kids, Squall has always loved Rinoa. Seven years later, he still feels the same way. But loving her was never easy when she's known as your little sister. And what happens when she falls in love with someone not you? Squinoa AU and Crossover.
1. The Forbidden Fruit

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything from Final Fantasy VIII but this story.

**A/N: **First of all, a warning! I feel that this fiction might be a little risqué since it alludes to mild incest… and I say might because everyone perceives incest differently, blood relations or not. I will NOT be going into great detail of incest of any kind, just using it as the situational conflict of this entire story. Oh, and there won't really be any mentions of religion... or at least I'll try not to allude to it...  
Please read to your own discretion!

Anyways, this is my first full length fiction for the FFVIII fandom and hopefully you will find this interesting. :) Came up with the idea when chatting with a good friend of mine… You know who you are! :D LOL Once again, I hope you will like this as much as I felt excited writing the first chapter! Let's hope I can do this to the end!

Please read & review! I'll love you for it! Readers without accounts can also feel free to leave me comments! It'll give me a good idea if I'm going the right way with this! Thanks in advance! ;)

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"_This is just another crossroad in my life.  
But, for the first time, I don't know which way to go.  
I've come this far because I've...fallen for you.  
...Rinoa...  
Now...am I just supposed to let you go?"  
~ Squall Leonhart_

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Squall ran his small hands through the tall grass. It tickled his fingers as the slight breeze brushed passed his face. His father, Laguna, had taken both Squall and Ellone, Squall's older sister, out for a drive to Winhill earlier that day. The older man made it a point that they would be visiting Squall's deceased mother, Raine. Ellone was really excited, telling Squall that it was the place she originally grew up in before moving with a then baby Squall and Laguna to Deling City. Squall couldn't remember visiting his mother's resting place before, but they must have; he was probably still young the last time they did.

They had ended up stopping in front of what Ellone said was Raine's old house. They all stepped out of the car and Squall looked around. It was a fairly old town and very quiet. Winhill was different from the loud, socializing city of Deling where he grew up. Most of the residents either kept to themselves or didn't pay any attention to Squall's little family. However, Ellone managed to talk with some of the residents who were just as happy to see her. They continued to chat and Laguna slowly bought himself into the conversations.

A bored Squall looked around some more, not really wanting to talk with anyone at the time. He noticed that some of the townsfolk glanced at him once in a while and Squall thought it creepy. He tried his best to ignore them as he played with the blades of grass.

"Squall," Laguna called in a gentle voice. Squall stood up to see his father behind him. He had a smile on his still youthful face, but the older man looked at Squall as if he was remembering something sad. He sighed as he knelt down to Squall's level, "…You really are starting to look like her."

"Like who?" the boy asked carefully with a tilt of his head. Squall noticed his father started comparing him to someone else recently. The boy didn't mind since he knew his father was a bit of an oddball, but he began to realize that every time Laguna looked at Squall, the man looked sad. The brunette started to worry, thinking he had done something bad to Laguna. He lowered his head as he nervously asked, "Did I…do something wrong?"

Laguna raised his eyebrows in surprised, "No, no! Of course not, Squall. What makes you think that?"

"You always look…sad whenever I'm around…" Squall mumbled, not looking up.

"I see…" Laguna confirmed. He placed a hand on Squall's head and patted him. The boy glanced up then to see Laguna smile slightly. He explained softly, "Sorry Squall. I never meant to make you feel that way. No, you haven't done anything wrong. It's just…you're beginning to look like your mother."

Squall questioned inquisitively, "Mom?"

Laguna nodded with a grin, "Yeah! You have her eyes and everything! Did you know? This was the place where I first met her."

"Really?" Squall's eyes went wide. He looked around some more, imagining how life was for his parents before he was born. The little boy would have to ask Ellone about it later since she was around at that time.

His father nodded, but frowned a little, "It's also…the last place I saw her." He removed his hand from Squall's head and pointed to one of the far hills out of the small village. Squall followed his pointed direction as Laguna continued, "Your Mom's resting right over there; watching all the flowers bloom. Remember?"

Squall recalled a little bit about the flowers Laguna was talking about. He mentioned once before that they were Mom's favorites, the white lilies. The boy with blue eyes stared out to the fields asking, "Are we going to see Mom?"

"Yeah," Laguna smiled again, turning back to face Squall, "I miss her; and I bet she misses us too." Squall turned back to his father and nodded in agreement. He began to take a few steps forward, but was stopped by Laguna grabbing one of his small arms. Confused, the boy looked back at his father. Laguna sighed, "Squall, there's something I should tell you first."

"What is it?" Squall asked curiously. He noticed Laguna's voice had a hint of seriousness and it scared him. Laguna was rarely serious about most things.

Laguna placed both his hands gently on Squall's arms. He looked down to collect his thoughts before glancing at his son, "I know that it's been hard growing up with one parent Squall; and Ellone is being a great big sister. But she won't always be there…as a support."

"Dad?" Squall let out quickly. He didn't like where his father was going.

The older man continued as if Squall didn't say anything, "You see, Squall…I think it's best that there should be a…womanly figure in your life; like a mother."

Squall stiffened, "Mother?"

Laguna's eyes softened a little as he looked down slightly, "…I've met this really nice lady that I think you'll like."

_No…_

"In fact, I knew her a few years ago and she hasn't changed at all."

_No…!_

"We've been seeing each other for a while now and I think we'll be tying the knot by the end of the month."

_No!_

"But I wanted you and Ellone to meet her first. She's coming here soon so I can also introduce her to your mother. I know you'll like her, Squall."

Squall shrugged his father's grasp from him harshly as he continually shook his head, "NO!"

"S-Squall!" Laguna let out, concern written on his face. He reached for Squall's arm again slowly, but the boy swatted it away.

Squall looked up at him with piercing blue eyes. Tears were welling up at the corner of his eyes, but the boy was too anger to let them fall. He shouted, "You can't replace her! You can't!"

"I'm not replacing your mother, Squall," Laguna stated, his tone suggesting Squall calm down. He tried to keep his voice steady as he whispered, "No one can replace your mother…"

"But you sound like this person can!" Squall retorted spitefully, earning glances from bystanders and a worried Ellone, "Why are you marrying her!"

"Because I love her, Squall!" Laguna blurted out, no longer restraining the rise in tension he initially held back. Squall looked stunned. His father loved this woman? Did he love her…more than his dead wife? Realizing he had gone too far, Laguna took a moment to breathe. He tried connecting with his son again with an apologetic voice, "Squall, I—"

"…hate you…" Laguna froze mid-sentence to examine his son, whose head was lowered and body was trembling. The young father couldn't say any words as Squall took a few steps back. The boy looked up angrily and cried, "I hate you! I don't want anything to do with this!"

It was then that Squall dashed away from his father. He never looked back to see if he was followed because he didn't give a damn. All the motherless child could think about was how he felt so betrayed by his own father for loving another woman.

But maybe it wasn't Laguna fault. _Dad was only looking out for me…_ the rational side of Squall thought. After all, he never knew his own mother personally; he was just a baby when she died. However, Squall's childish side just couldn't think of having another mother; even if his biological one was buried six feet under.

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It took Squall a few minutes to reach the borders of Winhill and into the flower field where his mother was buried. The boy stood there for a while in front of his mother's grave. He didn't know why he headed there specifically, but for some reason, Squall found solace in the eerily quiet place. He was still a moment longer, reading the grave stone over and over again.

A few tears fell from his face and when the little boy tried to wipe them away, new ones replaced the old ones. He was flooding with tears and he couldn't stop crying; Squall couldn't hold it in anymore. He knelt down on his knees as he cried loudly, knowing no one would be around to see or hear him cry.

"Why did you leave?" Squall questioned to the tombstone, "Why aren't you here?" He continued asking questions he knew no one would answer. But deep down, he wished his birth mother would pop out and hold him. He wished she would sooth him with a motherly voice he had heard other kids' moms talk with. He wished so badly to have his own mother love him.

"Mommy…Mommy!" Squall cried out in loud sniffles against his hands.

Suddenly, the boy felt a body pressing against his back as little arms wrapped around his crying form. The mysterious arms couldn't enclose around his body, but Squall still found the warmth encircling him fully.

The little boy lifted his face out of his hands to look at the uninvited company. It was there that he saw a girl around his age hugging him from behind. Squall was surprised she was even there. With a shaky voice, he quietly asked, "W-who…are y-you?"

The little girl glanced at Squall and smiled softly. It made Squall stop tearing a little as he saw her radiant face. Her smile was almost that of an angel's. The little girl removed herself from Squall and sat beside him in front of Raine's resting place. Squall watched every little thing she did as she tried to read the grave stone. Tilting her head slightly, she asked Squall, "Rain…Loir-e?"

Squall was a little annoyed that she answered with a question, but he nodded. He turned to face the slab of stone as he wiped off the remaining tears on his face. Squall would cry, but not so much in front of others. He lowered his head before snapping it back up when he heard the girl clap her hands together. Squall watched her intriguingly as she placed her small hands together in a praying gesture and closed her eyes.

"Dear Rain Loir-e, if you can hear me, then please know that someone is here to see you. His name is…" she opened one eye to peek at Squall and whispered without breaking her posture, "Quick! What's your name?"

The brunette was again irritated that she asked him who he was when he asked first, but he began not to care anymore, "…Squall."

She smiled in thanks before closing her eye and continued, "His name is Squall and he's here to see you! Squall misses you very much, so can you please come and comfort him, Miss Rain? If you can watch over Squall too, we will be really grateful! Rest in peace, and know that Squall loves you very much!"

Squall was gawking at the girl sitting beside him. What was she doing? The little girl was talking to his mother but…she didn't know Raine right? When she finished her monologue, the girl turned to Squall and smiled brightly, "She knows now!"

"Why did you…?" Squall let out confused. He's never seen anyone his age do something so…childish. This girl _did _know no one was going to answer her awkward confession…right? Not only that, she put words in Squall's mouth.

"It's so Miss Rain knows you're lonely. She'll come and watch over you now; so please, no more crying, 'kay?" the girl explained, reaching out to pet Squall's head in comfort.

Squall never liked being touched by people he didn't know, but for some reason, he found comfort within the girl's gentle caresses. Before he even knew it, Squall began expressing his situation, "…My Dad is getting married…"

"Hmm?" the girl replied, encouraging Squall to go on.

Reluctantly, he did, "I ran away... 'cause I didn't want a new mom. But my Mom isn't even around anymore…I think my Dad hates me now." It was quiet for a moment before the girl removed her hand from Squall's head. The boy gazed up to see the girl looking at the sky in thought.

_I wonder what she's thinking… _Squall contemplated curiously. To him, the girl really did look like an angel with her hair flying gently in the wind. And her blue dress made her seem so…surreal.

Feeling eyes on her, the girl looked back at Squall and beamed sweetly. Squall tried to hide a blush as she said, "I don't think your daddy hates you."

Surprised, Squall asked, "How do you know?"

"Because you're daddy told you about her right?" the girl questioned. She saw Squall's reaction and continued, "If he wanted to share, then he knows the new lady will be nice around you and that you'll probably be happy with her too. Your daddy trusts you!"

Squall lowered his head. Did his Dad think like this? Of course he did; Laguna always looked out for Squall and Ellone. The childish adult always made sure Squall and Ellone were happy with no arguments, so why couldn't Laguna be happy too? If this lady made Dad happy, then Squall should be happy for him, right?

"But I'm…I'm scared. What if I forget about my real Mommy? Then she'd be so…lonely…" Squall never looked up at the girl, afraid to meet her eyes. However, she grabbed both of his hands in hers and surprised Squall. The boy lifted his head high enough for the girl to plant a sweet kiss on his forehead. Squall was shocked as he stared and blushed furiously at her.

No words escaped him as she just stood there smiling and hands linked together with his. "A kiss is all you need," she placed another soft kiss on the tip of Squall's nose before continuing, "That will give you the courage to face her… But if you still feel lonely and scared, wish on a starry night! I know you'll be okay, Squall. Be brave!"

Squall slowly relaxed as his gaze softened. He felt as if this girl was an angel sent from above; sent to comfort him. He was afraid that once he closed his eyes, she would disappear. Right there and then, Squall wanted nothing else in the world then her presence beside him.

He tightened his grip on her hands as he blushed, "…Thank you…"

Her giggles made Squall's heart beat faster, "Your welcome, Squall!"

Squall smiled gently as he held the girls hands, _I wonder if we can be like this…forever? I—_

"Oh!" the girl exclaimed, looking behind her, "I have to go now. I promised my Mommy I'd be back!" She tried to release her hands from Squall's, but he held them firmly. Confused, she looked at him with a questioning gaze.

Squall, who looked at her with insecurity, asked nervously, "Can I…see you again?"

She lightened her gaze, "Of course!" Squall lowered his head as he nodded and loosened his grip on the little girl's hands. She slowly slipped out of them as she began running down the hill.

Squall watched her go, but remembered the only important question he hadn't asked her. Running a few steps forward, he shouted down the hill, "What's your name?"

The little girl twirled around as she smiled up at him. Placing her hands behind her back and walking backwards slowly, she shouted back, "Rinoa!"

_Rinoa… _Squall repeated. He nodded and smiled, waving, "I'll come see you again…Rinoa!"

Rinoa waved back before running off, "Bye, Squall!"

And then she was gone. Squall stood there on the hill a little longer, memorizing Rinoa's tiny form in his mind. He really wished to see her soon. Something about her made Squall feel comforted both inside and out.

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Squall returned to where his family was shortly after parting ways with Rinoa. Laguna ran up to him with a worried expression as he repeatedly asked if he was okay. The little boy only nodded his head as he tried to calm his father down.

Laguna persisted, but settled down after a while. They stood in complete silence before Laguna whispered slightly, "Squall…about earlier—"

"I'm sorry about earlier, Dad… Can I meet her?" Squall cut in with a surprisingly calm tone. He thought he would sound a lot more nervous, but the advice Rinoa gave him earlier was really helping. Squall would trust his father if the man believed this woman would bring him happiness. The boy would make an effort to get to know his father's new wife-to-be. Squall assumed his mother would want everyone to be happy; even if it meant Laguna being with another lady.

Laguna was a bit surprised, but smiled down at his son in understanding. He coughed to shake away the laugh he suppressed and answering Squall, "She's inside with Ellone. Let's say 'hi' okay?"

Squall nodded as he held on to his father's offered palm. They made their way to Raine's old pub. As they entered the door, laughter could be heard. Squall looked towards the bar counter and saw his older sister sitting on the bar stools beside an older, more sophisticated looking lady. She had shoulder length black hair and a slim figure. She looked very young for her age, which surprised Squall who thought she would look older. Her mannerisms were very polite.

She laughed against the back of her hand when Ellone said something funny, then glanced at Laguna when she saw him coming in. She smiled at him before switching her focus on the boy he walked in with. The lady asked gently, "He came back?"

"Yeah!" Laguna grinned. The father and son duo stopped in front of the girls, Laguna looking down at Squall who was standing behind him slightly. Laguna smiled as he introduced, "Julia, this is my son, Squall."

Squall looked down before shyly raising his head up to look at the woman Laguna would be marrying. He met chestnut eyes and she smiled sweetly at him. Squall thought she was very pretty, but she also looked a little familiar… He pushed the thoughts at the back of his mind as he bravely stepped forward quietly. Releasing his father's hand, he shyly greeted, "…Hello…"

Getting out of her seat, Julia knelt down to better greet Squall. Julia's smile never left her face as she offered her hand, "It's nice to meet you, Squall. You're dad has told me so many things about you!"

Laguna fake coughed as he looked away, "Julia please; not in front of Squall!"

Squall smiled up at his father slightly before turning to the nice lady to shake her hand. He added, "…Same here… Dad really loves you."

"S-Squall!" Laguna blushed as Julia giggled at him. Squall could see that Julia really cared for his father. Nothing about her seemed mean or misleading. And she really did feel…motherly.

"Umm…." Squall mumbled. Julia glanced at Squall curiously as he continued, "Please take care of my Dad. He's a really good guy who tucks me in at night and plays with me when I'm lonely. Oh! And he also knows what kinds of food I like to eat…" Squall continued to mention the good points about his father, but he was also beginning to lower his head to the floor in embarrassment. He never talked so much about anyone in one shot!

Feeling a gentle hand on his head, Squall looked up to see Julia's soft gaze. She began stroking his hair as she replied, "I'm glad to know your father's a great man. I'm very lucky to be with him. Of course, I'm also happy to know he has such a great son."

Squall blushed a little. Yes; she was definitely a good person. The little boy was already beginning to warm up to her. She felt so…loving; and he liked it. Miss Julia wouldn't replace his mother; that he knew, but Squall would finally be able to have that sense of being loved by two parents. With the way Julia acted, Squall felt comfortable with her. However, there was still something about her that was so familiar….

"By the way," Laguna interceded, now that the conversation wasn't about him anymore, "Julia, didn't you say you had a daughter? Where is she? She came back right?"

"Oh! She did, but I think she stopped by the back because there were flowers there," Julia explained, now standing up to face Laguna, "I think she'll be back soon."

Squall looked between the two adults and then to his sister confused. Ellone beamed at Squall and whispered from her seat, "Miss Julia has a daughter that's around your age. She's a little outgoing and she might balance you out, Squall!"

_Right…'cause I need that, _Squall rolled his eyes. Shortly after, the group heard a rattling from the front door of the pub.

Julia smiled, "Ah; that must be my little princess." She walked over gracefully and opened the door. Squall eyes grew wide as he saw Julia's daughter: short raven hair, big chocolate brown eyes, blue sun dress, and the smile of an angel.

The little girl glimpsed at Squall and smiled brightly with that ever angelic smile. She and Julia walked up to the Loire family. Julia had her hands on her daughter's shoulders as she kneeled down and introduced, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Rinoa."

Squall just continued to blank out as Ellone waved to Rinoa, "Hi! I'm Ellone and that's my little brother Squall. It's nice to meet you Rinoa!"

Rinoa smiled with a slight bow, "It's nice to meet you too."

This was too strange for him. Squall _could _see the similarities between Julia and Rinoa, but something about all this made him uncomfortable. Squall wasn't sure what the feeling was, but Rinoa was making everything complicated. If Rinoa was Julia's daughter, then that meant…

Laguna grinned as he kneeled beside Squall like Julia to Rinoa. He looked at his son, assuming Squall's confusion came from who the little girl was in general, "You get to be a big brother once Julia and I are married, Squall. Rinoa's going to be your new little sister!"

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_**Seven Years Later…**_

"Sir, would you like something to drink?" asked the female train attendant.

Squall lifted his head off the train window to look at the attendant. She had a cart full of beverages out in the hallway and she was ready to serve Squall whatever drink he'd like. The brunette, who was the only person in the private car, shook his head, "No, not at the moment, thanks. But do you happen to know how long until we reach Esthar City?"

The attendant looked down at her wrist watch and then back at Squall with a smile, "We will be there in about an hour, sir. Can't wait to go home?"

_That is a big understatement, _Squall deadpanned inwardly. He placed a façade of a smile on his face answering, "Yes; it's about time I went back."

"We get many patrons like that," giggled the attendant. She began to make her rounds again after stating to Squall, "But I'm sure it's not only home you miss, sir."

That wasn't far from the true. Squall not only wanted to go home, he really missed his family. Studying abroad in Galbadia for six months really put a strain on Squall. He never felt homesick, but as the days came closer that he would return to Esthar, the feeling began to sink in. Squall couldn't wait to be with his family again. But as much as he missed his family as a whole, Squall missed someone that stood at the top of his list…

_BEEP! BEEP! _

Squall's cell phone vibrated and pinged in his jacket. The brunette dug through his pocket to pull out the device. Squall received a text message that read:

_R u pulling up soon? It's been 6hrs, rite?_

_Well whatever. Txt back, k? Dad is getting worried!_

_Miss u Squall!_

_~ Rinoa_

A small chuckle escaped Squall as he read the message. No matter how many times he told her, Rinoa still decided to message Squall with informal jargon. He shook his head with a smile as he flipped open the texting keyboard of his phone, replying:

_Will be there in an hour. Tell him to calm down._

_- Squall_

He waited for a response. It came within a few seconds:

…_NEthing else?_

Squall knew exactly what Rinoa wanted to hear (or in this case read), but the brunette decided to tease her:

_Next time, write in proper grammar._

There was another moment of silence before he received another message. Squall read it and smirked with victory. She wrote:

_MEANIE!_

It was a typical answer from Rinoa and deep down, Squall liked teasing her just so she could use the "offending" term on him. Of course, actually hearing it was better than reading it he thought.

Squall didn't write back a reply, knowing it was not needed. Rinoa was only checking in for Laguna's sake. That's how she was; she always looking out for other people.

_Rinoa… _Squall sighed as he leaned back into his seat.

He missed her. Rinoa was Squall's most missed person out of anyone in his family. Nevertheless, Squall held everyone in his family with such value.

His father Laguna, as Squall began to realize as he got older, was a like a big kid. But he was reliable and put his heart to anything he set his mind to. Although Squall wouldn't admit it to anyone, he really looked up to his father for strength and courage. It was the things that made Laguna…well, "Laguna."

And then there was Ellone, his older sister. Even if they weren't related by blood, Squall would always see her as his sister. Although Ellone lived on-campus at the University of Esthar, it never stopped Squall from confiding his problems in her. Ellone was always so understanding; even if she still treated Squall like her baby brother.

Julia, Laguna's wife, was someone Squall liked to think of as his second mother. Although he's never called her mother by term, Squall was captured by her maternal skills. Squall regarded Julia in such high respect, that it surprised him how attached he had gotten to her over the years. Even though she could never replace Raine in Squall's mind, she was still someone Squall would consider as family.

Finally, there was Rinoa. While Squall and Rinoa were close in age, they were opposites in virtually everything. Squall liked his solitude; Rinoa liked her circle of friends. Squall preferred strategy while Rinoa followed her heart. Opposites, yet Squall and Rinoa complemented each other. Rinoa helped Squall become a little more expressive while Squall helped Rinoa become more sensible. They were attached to one another and were inseparably growing up.

When Rinoa found out Squall was leaving on an excursion for six months to Deling City, she literally threw a fit. Squall had to be the one to calm her down, saying he'd keep in touch. And he had; although most communication was almost always through Rinoa. She was his special person…his sister.

Squall frowned slightly as he slumped in his seat, resting the side of his head against the glass window. His blue eyes stared down at Rinoa's last message. Even though they lived liked siblings, Squall not once acknowledged Rinoa herself as his sister, blood-related or not. A very close friend yes, but _never _as his sister. Ever since their parents married, Squall honestly couldn't see Rinoa as his sister; and it was hard for him.

As they grew up together, Squall continued to see Rinoa in a different light. To him, the little girl he once played with began transforming into a beautiful young woman who started drifting out of Squall's reach. Every time he looked at her, his heart stopped. Whenever Rinoa laughed happily or teased him affectionately, Squall couldn't help but feel lucky to be with her. The young man knew he loved Rinoa since they were kids, but as he got older, he realized that his love for her was different from the love he had for his family. Squall loved Laguna, Ellone, and Julia; but he was _in _love with Rinoa.

His love for Rinoa didn't stem out as a love for a family member. No, it had grown to the point where Squall loved Rinoa as a woman. Squall understood that before he knew it, he had fallen in love with her that day they met in front of Raine's resting place. However, as much as he found pleasure in loving a girl like Rinoa, his love for her carried a sin.

Their parents had married seven years ago, making Squall and Rinoa siblings in the public eye. The consequences of Squall's affections meant that he was in love with his sister; something that was rarely accepted in society as a whole and was looked upon as taboo. As a result, Squall made it his choice to conceal his feelings for Rinoa, even if that meant he had to suffer. For seven years, Squall had carried his unrequited feelings for Rinoa, but sacrificed them to keep the bonds of their family happy and his relationship with Rinoa free from impurities.

But in the end, the young man's struggles fell short and Squall found himself drowning in the bewitching feeling. Every now and then, Squall would indulge himself in his fantasies of being with Rinoa.

Holding up his phone with Rinoa's last message still open, Squall kissed the screen lightly; envisioning that one day, he would get to kiss the real person: her.


	2. Angel of Desire

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything from Final Fantasy VIII but this story.

**A/N: **Yay! So here is chapter two! :D I apologize if it's a little boring, but the story will pick up probably after the next chapter! I guess this is more…development? LOL

Anyways, thanks so much for the taking the time to read this, dear readers! And of course I thank my lovely reviewers for, well, leaving me a comment: _saya, Scribbleness, Emerald-Latias, _and _Freyjadour! _Thanks for the input! :D

School will be starting soon, but hopefully I'll still have time to write and update. ^^ And in case you wonder how often I'll do that, I'll try updating within a week of the previously updated chapter!

Remember to R&R!

* * *

"_You're the only one that comes to mind every day  
I close my eyes again today to picture you"_  
_~ Taeyang: My Girl_

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"There he is! Squall! Over here!" Ellone shouted, waving a hand over her head and standing on her toes as a way to catch her little brother's attention.

Squall could see his sister with their parents standing by the "Arrival" entrance of the train platform. He smiled tiredly as he made his way to them, carrying his duffle bag over his shoulder and dragging his larger luggage on rollers behind him.

It was nice to see familiar faces after spending months in another country alone. Of course, Squall technically didn't go overseas alone; his childhood friend Irvine, originally from Deling City himself, took an internship program along with Squall. However they never took the same program together. Squall had decided to take a program dedicated to military history whereas Irvine took a generalized program just for the sake of visiting Galbadia again.

Their programs started off pretty much on the same schedule, but since Irvine was taking a non-specified program, he only stayed in Deling for four months while Squall stayed for an additional two. Irvine's program ended just before summer break while Squall's ended three days before the start of a new semester. It was hard work and it asked a lot out of the brunette, but he managed to keep most of it under control. He was rewarded with a foundation of social history and a pleasant looking referral on his student record. The overall experience was interesting itself, but Squall missed the sense of being home, relaxing in his own room, and taking things at his own pace.

As he walked closer to his family, Julia stepped forward and welcomed the young man in her arms. Squall released the handle of his larger luggage to return her gesture with a one-armed hug. He quietly murmured, "I'm home…"

"Welcome back, Squall. We missed you," Julia greeted with a bright smile. She backed out of the hug to look at Squall's face. Squeezing his shoulders in reassurance and inspecting him, she spoke in a motherly tone, "You've grown so much after six months! Have you been eating right?"

The brunette was going to answer, but was cut off by his father's booming laughter. Squall felt a smack on his back that nearly made him fall forward. "Relax Jules! Of course Squall's alright! I mean, look at him! This boy o' mine is packing on the muscles!" Laguna praised with a toothy grin. He ruffled Squall's hair to emphasize his excitement for the return of his son and laughed happily again.

_He's just happy you're home…He's just happy you're home… _Squall chanted to keep himself calm. It would be unnecessary for him to attack his father in the middle of a public setting… He'd have to wait until they got home later. Squall huffed as he tried in vain to fix his hair, "Not really, Dad. But yes Julia; the residence leader made sure everyone stayed healthy."

Julia giggled against her hand, "Then I'm glad you're fine."

"Hey Squall!" Ellone greeted, hugging her taller, but younger brother, "Learn a lot from the excursion?" Squall nodded as he returned the motion with another one-armed hug.

After releasing his sister, Squall realized someone was missing. He looked around, but when his search failed without wanted results, Squall raised an eyebrow at his family. He tried to ask without sounding too eager, "Where's—?"

Knowing who he was talking about, the welcoming party replied in unison, "Washroom."

Squall stared for a second before shaking his head in understanding. Count on her being the last one to show up. He could still remember what Rinoa had told him before he left for Galbadia. She pulled Squall to the side, away from everyone, to tell him that she would be the first person to greet him as soon as he got back. She was embarrassed but her determination never wavered as she saw Squall off. Noticing Rinoa was getting watery eyes, he promised her in return that he'd come back with a smile. That promise alone was able to get the girl smiling herself. Rinoa's smile was the last thing Squall wanted to memorize before leaving Esthar and the first thing he wanted to see coming back. Well, so much for that…

"SQUALL!" Rinoa called out as she ran over to him. The brunette looked over his shoulder to see Rinoa pushing her way through the ongoing crowd, dead set on getting to her destination. Rinoa wore her favorite baby blue sweater with a white scarf around her neck. Black shorts reached down above her knees and black boots finished the girl's appearance. Rinoa didn't bother tying her hair up, letting it down behind her back; like the last time Squall saw her. She was still as breathtaking as before he left and Squall found himself relaxing in her presence. It warmed his heart that he would be able to see her smiling face every morning and before going to bed once again.

When Rinoa finally got through the crowd and reached Squall, she jumped into his frame to give him a big hug, "Oh Squall! I missed you so much! I've got a LOT to tell you!"

Squall hugged back, taking in her sweet scent secretly. He wanted to stay like that for a while longer, but he knew it would be out of his character to act that way. He patted her once and stated with a vague tone, "Understandable. But for now, can you let me go? You're crushing me."

"Hey! If I crush you, it's only because I missed you, Meanie!" Rinoa pouted as she broke the short embrace, much to Squall's disappointment. She crossed her arms and looked playfully at Squall, "Besides, I was testing out how much strength I have now. I've been working out you know!"

Squall paused before snorting out a small chuckle and Rinoa feigned mock anger. She playfully slapped him as Squall continued to back away with his hands up in defense, struggling not to laugh as he apologized. Only with Rinoa could Squall act this way. He would never be like this with anyone else.

"Ahem," Julia cleared her throat. Squall and Rinoa stopped and turned their attention to her. The mother smiled, "I think it's about time we head home."

"Right! We have to celebrate Squall's return!" Laguna joked. He helped Squall with some of his luggage; taking the roller luggage for his son before walking away with Ellone and Julia. This left Squall and Rinoa alone together.

They stood in silence before Rinoa turned to face Squall, standing on her heels with hands behind her back. She smiled up at him with a genuine voice, "Welcome back Squall."

Squall softened his eyes, "Glad to be home." She giggled as the brunette threw his duffle bag over his right shoulder. Squall began walking but felt his left hand being grabbed at. Looking to his side, Squall saw Rinoa hugging his left arm. She grinned at him innocently and Squall couldn't help but blush slightly. He allowed the motion as they walked together, thinking that he was lucky to have Rinoa by his side like this. It really was great to be home again.

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Evening drew near as the family reached their large home. The car ride was filled with many questions as to what Squall experienced and the blue eyed brunette answered their curious questions the best he could. But of course Squall got tired of answering eventually and opted with one word answers.

The family ate a celebratory dinner with Rinoa and Ellone probing Squall if he had established a "secret girlfriend" in Galbadia. He vehemently denied it, but was continuously teased anyway. Laguna and Julia laughed throughout the entire "interrogation" as they tried to stop the girls from getting carried away before Squall would walk out of the room. After dinner, everyone decided to call it a night. They welcomed Squall back home once more before parting to their respective bedrooms.

Squall trudged up to his room, dumping his belongings on the floor. He sat on his bed for a moment and decided afterwards to take a shower before getting some sleep. He didn't take a long shower; just enough to unwind his tense muscles. From carrying around his luggage and sitting in one spot for more than six hours, the brunette just wanted to relax. After exiting the bathroom wearing only black sweatpants and a towel around his neck, Squall walked to the last door at the end of the hallway. He rubbed his face into the towel as he opened the door to his room, surprised to see Rinoa lying down on her stomach on his bed reading a magazine.

"Shouldn't you be in _your _room?" Squall questioned as he looked at the raven haired girl. The brunette was contemplating whether or not to grab a t-shirt from his dresser. He was becoming self-conscious around Rinoa while parading in his room half-naked… That and he needed the material as a barrier to let his body know that Rinoa was off-limits…in his room…wearing only a tank top and short shorts… She was not making this _easy._

Rinoa didn't bother to look at him and continued to read her magazine, one hand supporting her head, "Why? I've been sleeping in your room since you left anyways."

Squall absentmindedly blurted out, "You slept in my room?" He wanted to hit himself. Not only did it make him sound eager that she took residence in his room, it made Squall look suspicious like he actually wanted her there. But still, he couldn't help but feel extremely happy knowing Rinoa missed him _that _much. All the phone calls and messages he sent her before bedtime in Esthar and Rinoa answered them all while lying down in _his _bed. It felt like…like…

"I'm just kidding!"

…like something Squall could only dream sadly…

Rinoa grinned as she sat up waving her hand playfully, giggling, "I know you don't like it when people enter your 'private sanctuary,' so I never did! Besides, who'd want to sleep in your boring old room anyway?"

He stared blankly at her, no words escaping him as she laughed at his expression. Squall's heart sank in depression and embarrassment for thinking she would ever consider sleeping in his room. The brunette looked away to hide his embarrassment, _Well thanks for getting my hopes up. If it was you, I wouldn't mind… _The brunette regained his composure as he rubbed his hair dry with the towel, deadpanning, "Call it what you want. My room is just neat and organized…unlike yours."

Rinoa shot back, while pointing a finger, "Hey! That is so uncalled for! I just called your bedroom 'boring;' not the room of 'all-that-is-null-and-void!'"

Squall ignored her, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice, "Keep your voice down; everyone else is already asleep." Rinoa put her hands to her mouth in realization and Squall smirked slightly at her mishap.

Thinking he had complete control over his actions…and his body, Squall walked towards the bed without a shirt and sat on the floor with his back leaning against the foot of his bed. He replaced the towel around his neck as he drew his knees up slightly; placing his arms on top of them lazily. Squall closed his eyes as he leaned his head back on the bed's mattress and exhaled slowly.

Both occupants of the room were quiet and Squall was thankful for it. He needed time to think and collect his thoughts. It had been a long day and he was really tired from the train ride back to Esthar. Squall swore to never take the train for that long a ride again. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Squall vowed to use air transportation from now on.

He felt Rinoa shifting her weight on the mattress, but he didn't bother to open his eyes. Squall thought she was just getting comfortable on the bed since she sat up earlier. He felt Rinoa tugging at his hair slightly, saying, "Your hair's still wet."

Squall slowly opened his eyes only to realize Rinoa's face was a little too close for his liking. She was still sitting up, but this time her body was facing Squall's and her head was hovering above his as she looked down at his hair. A few strands of Rinoa's hair fell off her shoulders and tickled the sides of Squall's face.

He could smell the lavender in her hair and it was tempting him. Everything about Rinoa was tempting Squall at that moment. Her skin looked smooth and unblemished; he wanted to touch her. Her eyes filled with endless brown; he wanted to get lost in them. The hair that fell on her face; he wanted to brush them aside for her. Her alluring cherry lips that spoke his name; he wanted to kiss her. It was difficult for the brunette not to jump her right there and now. Rinoa was in his room, wearing something so enticing… And Squall could feel it deep within him that he wanted her more than anything.

Quickly looking forward, Squall cast his vision away from Rinoa and towards the wall. He flexed his hands into a fist slightly before relaxing them again. It was his way of struggling to find control again over his thoughts. Fighting against the voices that told him to go on the aggressive, Squall stated nonchalantly, "I just came out of a shower. What do you expect?"

He heard Rinoa sigh from behind him, "Hmm, guess you're right." Rinoa shifted again on the bed, then without warning, she grabbed the towel around Squall's neck and quickly rubbed his head roughly, "I'll help you dry up! We can't have you catching a cold with school coming up soon!"

"Stop it. I don't need you doing that!" Squall protested with a flinch, turning his head to look at Rinoa sternly. She had decided to lie on her stomach again, but this time faced Squall at an equal eye level.

She ignored him, speaking in a sing song voice as she continued rubbing at Squall's hair, "I can't hear you."

"…Whatever," Squall sighed in exasperation, no longer caring. He faced forward again to let Rinoa thoroughly dry his hair with the towel. She stopped rubbing the towel roughly and began massaging slowly and gently against the brunette's head. Squall took in every circular motion Rinoa made with the fabric as he closed his eyes in bliss.

In another moment of silence, Rinoa removed the towel, happily exclaiming, "Done!" Squall thanked her with a grunt as he scratched the back of his head. He wished she didn't stop, but there wasn't much he could do. His hair couldn't stay wet forever and he doubted Rinoa had the attention span to continually dry his hair. Sighing to himself, Squall continued to look forward without moving when Rinoa began running her fingers through his hair gently. It sent shivers down Squall's spine, but he showed no reaction as Rinoa whispered softly, "Your hair got longer too…"

It was a random comment, but he answered her anyway. He was getting lost in her touch, savoring the gentle feel of her fingers, "Forgot to get a haircut before coming back. But it looks okay, right?"

"It suits you," Rinoa giggled softly. She continued gliding her fingers through his hair before stopping. In a quiet voice, she mumbled, "…I really missed you, Squall…" And then she went silent.

Curious, Squall turned his head to glance at Rinoa to find she had fallen asleep on the bed. Rinoa still laid on her stomach, but her head rested against a folded arm as her other arm was hanging loosely off the bed beside Squall's shoulder. He figured that was the arm and hand used for stroking his hair.

The shirtless teen tried to calling Rinoa's name as Squall softly nudged her awake, but all she did was move to lie on her back. Squall sighed before standing up. Gently tucking one arm under Rinoa's knees as his other arm went under Rinoa's back, Squall lifted the sleeping figure up and to his chest; careful not to disturb her slumber. He began walking towards Rinoa's room which was located on the opposite side of the hallway two doors on the right of his. Looking down at her, Squall couldn't help but think of how light Rinoa was. The raven haired teen was always snacking on finger food that it made Squall wonder how she stayed so slim… Maybe she _did _work out when he wasn't around. Rinoa snuggled against Squall's bare chest and he smiled softly at her.

When the brunette made it to Rinoa's room, he placed her on the bed and covered her with the blanket. He stood there for a moment to watch her sleep soundly. Rinoa's breathing was even and her mouth was slightly open. Squall recollected back to when they started living together as a family. Whenever Rinoa decided to nap anywhere near Squall, she always had a funny way of sleeping. Her mouth for the most part was always gaping slightly and she fidgeted from time to time as she dreamt. Back then, Squall found it endearing; but now a young man, he couldn't help but think how vulnerable she looked.

Before he could even think, Squall's upper body towered over Rinoa's as he focused on her soft lips. His gaze lingered on them as he wondered the number of times Rinoa's past boyfriends kissed her; he wondered the taste of Rinoa's gloss-covered lips; but most of all, he wondered how Rinoa would reciprocate his kisses. As many things ran through his mind, Squall began to move his face closer to his "sister's" while closing his eyes. This was an opportunity; his chance. No longer would Squall be kissing Rinoa in his dreams, but he would actually feel the real thing. His lips would brush her cherry ones and his desires would be fulfilled.

…Then he stopped himself short a few centimeters from his destination.

Squall opened his eyes and reluctantly moved his face away. He forced himself to get a grip as he thought about it more thoroughly. He _would _fulfill his desire to finally have her lips…but then he would be craving for more. He would probably go insane with lingering desires from a kiss. Plus, Squall knew that kissing Rinoa while she slept was cowardly. He knew she deserved better than that. If he was going to kiss her, he'd rather she'd be aware of the situation.

Standing back up, he glanced at her again with an expression of hurt and longing, _If only you knew how I feel about you for real. I… _Rinoa shifted in her sleep, deciding to lie on her side. Squall noticed a few strands of hair in Rinoa's face so he brushed them aside gently with a small smile. He opted to kiss her forehead instead of her lips, whispering, "I missed you too, Rinoa."

As Squall made his way back to his room, he confirmed and repeated the same thing he had told himself numerous times. All he needed from Rinoa was her mere presence, nothing more. As stepsiblings, Squall would be satisfied just knowing she would always be his through that bond alone.

[][][][][][][][]

"Mom! We're leaving now!" Rinoa called from the front hallway as she and Squall began putting their shoes on.

"Alright! Have fun at school you two!" Julia called out from the living room.

Rinoa grinned playfully at Squall, whispering, "There's such a thing as 'fun' at school?"

Squall only smirked back with a shake of his head. They both exited the house and began the walk to school. It had only been three days since Squall had come home from Galbadia and the brunette used those remaining days strictly for relaxation. He talked with some of his friends over the phone and text messages, but other than that, Squall stayed at home. Rinoa teased him saying that he was probably like that back in Deling too; never leaving his dorm for anything. Squall wittingly rebuked that the residence he stayed at had a live-in maid that did everything for the tenants…and he meant _everything._ Rinoa thought he was serious, but Squall only laughed at her for believing him; earning lots of verbal abuses including the word "Meanie."

As they walked, Rinoa played with the hem of the school uniform's skirt. The girl's uniform consisted of a simple white blouse, a ribbon, and a skirt that reached just above the knees. Both the ribbon and skirt shared the same black color. The blouse was usually tucked in, but Rinoa thought it felt restricting, so she never tucked it in. She sighed as she swung her school bag back and forth, "Man! I don't want to go to school. That means waking up early again…"

"I don't mind," Squall replied coolly. The boy's uniform consisted of a white shirt, a black tie, and pants. Squall wore his uniform more to the school's standard than Rinoa did. He had his school bag underneath his right arm as he continued to walk, "At least it'll keep us busy."

"Busy?" Rinoa flabbergasted, looking up at the brunette beside her, "Squall, you've been in school for an entire _year! _And without break I might add! How in Hyne's name can you NOT want to go to school!"

Squall smirked without looking at her, "Out of the both of us, _I _have to be the overachiever."

"…Whatever," Rinoa mumbled now walking a few steps ahead of Squall. He shook his head again to suppress a chuckle at Rinoa childishness, gazing at her back in contentment.

By the time they reached the school, the warning bell rang and students were all starting to enter the premises. Rinoa greeted some familiar faces with a smile as Squall silently strode next to her.

Walking past the entrance doors, Rinoa turned to her brother and asked, "You ready?"

Squall smirked a little, "Ready as I'll ever be." Rinoa giggled as they strolled into the main hallway. Many first to third year students were all bustling to get to their classes on time for the first day of school. Squall found it a little annoying having to bump into so many people at one time, but it would last until everyone settled in. He on the other hand still had to figure out his classes and the only way to do that was to drop by the main office located near the central foyer.

The stepsiblings were able to walk away from the crowded area and down the hall until a deep, smooth voice said, "Excuse me."

Squall looked to his right to see a guy with spiky blond hair and sky blue eyes brush past Rinoa's flank. He was a little shorter than the brunette, but his build was a lot firmer than Squall's. He wore the uniform only semi-formally with the shirt hanging loosely. His strides were casual, but the blonde carried a sense of confidence with him.

_Never seen him before. A freshmen? _Squall wondered. He continued to walk until he noticed Rinoa wasn't beside him anymore. He turned around to see the raven haired girl staring at nothing in particular. He called out her name, but she didn't respond. Puzzled, Squall walked up to her and touched her arm, "Hey Rinoa? Are you alright?"

She snapped out of her trance as she looked up at Squall, "Huh? Oh! Yeah, fine. Sorry."

"What were you staring at?"

"S-Staring at?"

"Yeah…You were looking out into space and didn't hear me call your name," Squall reiterated, raising a skeptical eyebrow at Rinoa.

"Oh; well, you know. I was just…um…" Rinoa mumbled as she lowered her head. Squall realized that as she tried to talk, she started to blush slightly and he didn't know why. Was she…embarrassed by something? But what? She was fine when she came in. Nothing strange happened…except…

_Does she know that guy? _Squall questioned inwardly, remembering the blond who bumped Rinoa earlier. Squall didn't know why, but he wasn't liking whoever that guy was. Getting Rinoa's attention, Squall calmly asked, "Rinoa. That guy—"

_RIIING! _

The final warning bell rang throughout the hallways, telling the remaining students to hurry to class. Rinoa's head snapped up at the sound. She smiled a little too quickly in relief as she said, "Well! There's the bell! I still have to get to the other end of the school since we might be in different homerooms and all. I'll see you later, okay?"

Before Squall could object, Rinoa dashed down the halls and out of sight. Squall stood dumbfounded for a moment. She ran away from him. She actually ran away from _him! _It had been a while since Rinoa had done something like that to get out of being interrogated…but that was when they were still kids!

_Something's definitely bothering her… _Squall concluded, intuition telling him it had something to do with that new face he saw. All he hoped was that whatever bothered Rinoa about that guy wasn't something big. Sighing out loud, Squall walked down the hallway to the main office to get his homeroom and schedule for the school year.


	3. Friends and a Confession

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **I'M SO SORRY THAT THIS IS COMING SO LATE! D: School came up and then I hit a depression period because of it… Anyways! Here is Chapter Three and I'm hoping to get the next chapter up VERY soon! :3  
Oh, and it was probably pretty obvious what the "crossover" part of this thing is, huh? LOL It couldn't be helped I guess… But read on!

Once again, I'd like to thank my readers and reviewers for taking the time to have a passing fancy for this story! To my reviewers: _Emerald-Latias, saya, Scribbleness, White Illusion, _and_ cindy _thanks so much for your encouraging words! Especially the anonymous reviews since I can't really reply back to you. Know that I DO appreciate your words! ^^

* * *

"_My face brightens up as I see your smile  
I worry that you might notice my feelings  
And I get scared that the gap between us would widen"  
~ Taeyang: Wedding Dress_

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"What you said can't possibly have any truth in it," Squall retorted in disbelief. He stared at the petite girl across the table as she shook her head definitely.

"Nope! It's true!" Selphie grinned. She took a sip out of her milkshake before restating, "Seifer and Quistis are an item!"

_She's lying… She has to be,_ the brunette stubbornly thought. He turned to the two other people sitting adjacent of each other, looking for a confirmation at the information thrown at him. Irvine and Zell, the former sitting beside his girlfriend, shared a knowing glance.

Sitting back in his chair looking at Zell, Irvine questioned, "The arguing?"

Sitting up and returning the look to Irvine, Zell added, "The jealousy?"

They both nodded in synchronicity pointing at each other knowingly, "That about sums it up. Seifer plus Quistis equals a dating, bickering couple!"

Squall's jaw slightly dropped. It was still unbelievable to him! Seifer and Quistis: two people who hardly saw eye-to-eye nor have anything in common, were _dating_. For a while now, Selphie was telling Squall some of the big developments that had happened over the last six months and the blonde couple was the biggest (and strangest) one that Squall had heard thus far.

But wait…

Wasn't Quistis dating someone else before he left? Squall was curious enough to phrase his question, "Vincent… Quistis was dating him wasn't she?"

"She did, but then she finally decided to go out with a _real _man!" answered a cocky voice from behind. The quartet of friends turned to see the blond teen, Seifer, smirking with much victory before the blonde beauty beside him, Quistis, elbowed him in the stomach.

She narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend, "Stop that. There _was_ a period of three months before I finally decided to go out with you."

Seifer took a seat beside Squall as he grabbed Selphie's drink and glared back at his girlfriend, "So what? We both know I was the better choice for you anyways. That guy was as boring as a log and you know it!" He took a long sip out of the girl's milkshake as she began to protest.

Quistis sighed with a roll of her eyes. She sat beside the shorter girl while smiling at Squall, ignoring Seifer and Selphie's fight for the milkshake, "Squall, it's good to see you again. I'm sorry I wasn't able to greet you at school."

Squall shrugged with an accepting tone, also ignoring the off-side banter, "It's fine Quistis. But thanks anyways." Quistis nodded in appreciation. She then decided to cut in between the angry exchange of words formulating between Seifer and Zell… Quistis was definitely the "mother" of their friends Squall concluded.

It was the afternoon school finished on the first day of the new term. Squall had spent the rest of his day attending classes and seeing old friends face to face. He had met up with Irvine first as they shared homeroom together and then Selphie when she was looking for the cowboy during class recess. The petite girl was so excited seeing Squall again, she texted everyone Squall considered close friends to an "emergency get-together" afterschool. They were to meet at the fast food joint down by the shopping district.

Squall, Irvine, and Selphie made their way together to the spot, although Squall had originally wanted to go with Rinoa. Selphie said it wouldn't be possibly as the raven haired girl texted her; saying she'd be busy right after. Squall was slightly disappointed but understood. If Rinoa was busy, then she was busy. When they got to the food joint, Zell came in a few minutes afterwards and greeted the brunette a welcome back. Squall had nodded in thanks.

He was relieved at how comfortable he was amongst his friends again. It felt right being with them; talking and joking like before he left. Although he hardly spoke up during some minor conversations, Squall was happy enough to be included. The four friends began discussing what was new and what was missed. Nothing out of the ordinary was brought up until they started talking about Seifer and Quistis's relationship. Thus, here they were; sitting at a restaurant laughing and chatting up a storm (with the exception of Squall).

It was a distraction Squall was grateful for, but something still bugged him about what happened earlier that day. It was no surprise that it involved Rinoa. Her strange reaction to that new blond guy still bothered Squall and he wanted to ask his friends about it. However, he couldn't find the right time to bring it up without sounding out of character and decided to stay quiet about it.

As he looked around, Zell asked Selphie, "So who are we missing here? I see everyone, but I have no idea if we're still waitin' on someone."

"Well, I texted Rinoa 'cause she _obviously_ has to be here, but she got stuck with her piano tutoring at school. On the first day classes started too!" Selphie sighed sadly.

_So that's why she couldn't come. Rinoa did tell me she would start doing extra credit activities this year, but I had no idea she would start right away… And piano tutoring at that, _Squall pondered, realizing he might have to readjust his schedule so he could walk home with her afterschool every other day.

Selphie soon sprung back to life as she remembered, "Oh! And Yuffie will be coming by later!"

Seifer spat out what he was currently drinking on Irvine who yelped in disgust. Luckily he shielded himself with that hat he always carried around. If it ever had a use, it was being useful now. The green eyed blond stared blankly at Selphie, "…What!"

"I said," Selphie repeated, purposely getting Seifer riled up, "Yuffie will be coming by later!" Seifer groaned as he slapped his face with both hands.

Looking between everyone, Squall questioned loudly as he faintly remembered hearing that name before, "Who's Yuffie?"

"_I'm _Yuffie! The desert flower of the Kisaragi family!" a voice stated proudly behind Squall. He turned around to see a girl of Wutain descent standing with pride, hands on her hips. Her hair was black and short to frame her face. She was wearing the school uniform, indicating that she went to Esthar High as well. Examining Squall, she circled him with fascination, "Hmm… so you're Mr. Grumpy that I've heard so much about. You're nothing like I imagined! I was expecting some jumbo-sized trouble student, but you're just a grunt who doesn't say much. Not my type at all..."

_Like I'd want to be your type, _Squall glowered at the newest addition to the group. She didn't pose a big threat, but that mouth of hers was definitely going to drive him mad. No wonder Seifer was upset she was coming.

Taking another good look at Yuffie, Squall finally remembered who she was. _She _was in fact the trouble student he had heard so much about back in his first year. Squall wittingly commented, "And I suppose you're the girl who ran laps around the school for trying to bride a teacher to pull you out of the first year math final right? Nice to meet you, Yuffie." The black haired girl stared wide eyed with surprise at Squall as he smugly sipped his soda pop through a straw.

Apparently back in her first year, Yuffie was so desperate to get out of the final she promised her teacher riches beyond compare. Thinking it was smart to add, she also stated that the money he'd receive could probably fix the teacher's balding problem. To sum it up, the teacher wasn't grateful for her offer and Yuffie got punished.

Yuffie winced as backed up to lean against Selphie. She glanced at the smaller brunette, "Yeesh! You weren't kidding when you said he was extra stingy, Selph. He's worse than Mr. Romantic over there!" She pointed a finger at Seifer and Selphie giggled while the topic of focus growled, contracting his hands into fists. Quistis tried to calm him down by taking his hands in hers.

It was then Selphie nudged Yuffie, "By the way Yuffie, did you…get the goods…?"

Smirking with sneaky suspicion, she pulled out various photos from her school bag, "Selph, would I let you down?"

Selphie squealed as she hugged her friend, "I knew I could count on you! You're the best!"

"I know!" Yuffie laughed. They were both going through the photos and everyone was getting curious as to what was contained in them. Even Squall's curiosity was getting the better of him.

Speaking up for everyone, Quistis asked, "What is it that you guys are looking at?"

Selphie grinned, "Oh just pictures of the students, teachers, and everything in between from today! I'm gathering photos for the yearbook!"

"Isn't it too early to start worrying about the yearbook? It hasn't even reached half a year yet!" Zell astounded.

Placing her hands on her hips, Selphie firmly stated, "It's _never_ too early to capture school moments on camera! Here, I'll show you!" She gathered all the photos in her hands before spreading them across the table. Squall was surprised to even see so many pictures. Not only that, they were well-taken photos! He was silently impressed by Yuffie's photography skills. Selphie started to point out some of the photos to the group, "See look: here's one of Student Body President Rufus giving the opening ceremony speech. Oh! And here's one with Quistis giving the Student Code of Conduct speech!"

"…Nice ass shot," Seifer praised, picking up that particular photo of Quistis. He earned a kick to the shin under the table. The blond held back the urge to glare at his girlfriend, but she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

There were so many pictures! A few of them were group shots while others were individual shots. Some people were aware of their photos getting taken while others were left in oblivion. As Squall scanned through the shots and ignored the comments made by his friends, he found a picture of himself and Rinoa from earlier that day. It was taken after biology class ended and Squall remembered Rinoa looping her arm around Squall's and started posing with the peace sign while sticking her tongue out. The brunette had no idea why she had done that but now he knew. Yuffie was probably hiding at the time when the shot was taken, but Rinoa noticed her and posed for the picture; leaving Squall to think she'd gone mad. He smirked in realization.

But then one other picture caught his eye. Squall nonchalantly dragged the picture out from underneath numerous others with his index finger to take a good look at it. He was surprised to see that it was the same blond from this morning. It was a candid shot as the blond looked to be stroking some of the piano keys in one of the school's music rooms. The only thing that was different from when Squall last saw him this morning was that the blond was wearing a pair of framed reading glasses in the photo.

Selphie produced a high pitch squealing, forcing everyone to look at her in bewilderment. She hastily grabbed the picture Squall was so focused on as she glanced at it like it was candy, "Oh my Hyne! You _actually _got Cloud's picture! AND IN GLASSES!"

_Cloud? _Squall digested, eyeing the two hyperactive teens. The wheels were turning in his head.

"I did! And I tell ya, Spiky was the _hardest _for me to get a picture of!" Yuffie replied just as excited as Selphie with a big exaggeration, "You owe me! He'll kill me if he finds out I managed to snap a picture of him!"

Selphie hugged Yuffie with much fervor, "I love you forever! _This _is definitely going into the yearbook!"

Taking this as the perfect opportunity to collect some information on the guy, Squall pretended to ask in puzzlement, "Who's this Cloud guy? Do I know him too?"

"Nah, he's news to you, Squall," Irvine answered shortly after taking a sip of his milkshake. Licking his lips, he continued, "But really, Cloud's just another face in the crowd."

"Another face in the crowd?" Selphie repeated her boyfriend in disbelief. She shook her head as she faced Squall, "Cloud's more than just any old face in the crowd; he's considered to be one of the top school idols as voted by the female student body!"

"You forgot the most overrated guy in the school," Seifer rolled his eyes as he took Selphie's seat to get closer to Quisits. Scoffing, he asked, "What's so special about this guy anyways? If anything, his attitude pisses me off."

"You're just saying that 'cause you don't know him," the petite brunette clicked her tongue. Snapping her fingers, she instructed, "Yuffie; stats please!"

Yuffie did a slight salute as she recited memorized facts, "Full name is Cloud Strife. Birthday and current age: August 11th and eighteen respectively. Height: 173 cm. Blood type: AB. Originally born in Nibelheim, but moved to Midgar with his mother at the age of twelve. He was granted a scholarship to study here in Esthar High School and transferred in last year, after winter break. Cloud is currently doing his final year as many of us are right now!"

_So that explains why I've never seen him; I probably left for Galbadia before he moved here… _Squall concluded as Yuffie continued to divulge into Strife's background. However, nothing she said bought any evidence about Rinoa's weird behavior from this morning.

Squall was going to sneak in another question when Zell cut in with a shocked shrug, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up! How do you know all this!"

Yuffie innocently stated with a smile, "I have my resources…"

"You mean you have Vincent," Quistis corrected casually.

Yuffie stiffened before turning around and cursing to herself, "Shoot! My information network!"

Quistis shook her head as Seifer laughed at the Wutain's distress, "I meant no harm Yuffie. I've just seen you talking to Vincent before so I thought you guys were friends."

"O-Oh yeah! Vince and I go _way _back! So it's only natural!" Yuffie quickly recovered with a nervous laugh. No one bothered to try and rip her away from her delusions; she must've really thought she was a secret agent. But it was then Yuffie remembered something that seemed important. She pounded a fist into her open palm, "Oh yeah! I've also gathered updated info on Cloud's homeroom!"

Selphie's eyes went wide in anticipation, "Well tell me!"

Yuffie grinned, "He's in Sephy's TA this year!"

_Sephy's…? _Squall repeated, knowing he heard that word before. He began to make the connections when his head snapped up, "Wait; Sephy…Sephiroth's TA? _Rinoa's_ homeroom?"

Now they were getting somewhere. Yuffie nodded with confirmation.

Selphie groaned as she took a seat on Irvine's lap, "Oh! Rinoa's so lucky to share homeroom with him again!"

…_Again?_

"Really? I only thought they were only sharing math and gym class together."

_...Together?_

Waving a hand, Selphie replied, "Doesn't matter. Rin's lucky to be with such a pretty guy!"

"Uh, Selph? Your boyfriend is right here…" Irvine coughed out, starting to feel uncomfortable that the girl on his lap was fawning over someone that wasn't him.

Turning innocently to face him, Selphie gave him a cold smile, "Oh Irvy! You know how I feel when _you _decide to flirt with girls that aren't your girlfriend!"

Irvine smiled nervously as he looked away slowly, "Ah…good point…"

"Has she…been interacting with him at all?" Squall asked out of the blue. He wanted to get the conversation going his way before the fire decided to fan out. If Squall wasn't able to get anything about this guy, he would never understand why Rinoa was so weird!

Seifer raised an eyebrow as he looked at his companion, "Why? Jealous of Strife are we?" Squall quickly looked down to hide his face. He knew Seifer was observant, but he was hoping for his peer to leave the matter alone.

Out of all of his friends, Seifer was the hardest to fool. The blond could read his every move and intention, but the same applied to the blond himself. Seifer was Squall's opposite in personality but similar in other ways. They were both driven by their ambitions and were skilled in defensive sword arts. Although Seifer was louder and rebellious than Squall, he was the closest Squall would consider his equal. The blond had a tendency to put him in a difficult situation, but maybe the reason Seifer was intent on making Squall's life hard at the moment was because he once dated Rinoa when they started high school.

Calmly stating after thinking of a good excuse, Squall replied, "You know she's always chattering about something. But Rinoa's never mentioned this...Cloud guy."

"…Hmm, touché," Seifer stated back, placing an arm around Quistis's chair. Squall let out a mental sigh of relief. He'd have to be careful about what he said next if Seifer was around. Knowing him, he'd probably find out Squall's hidden secret in a heartbeat.

Turning back to Yuffie and Selphie, Squall asked coolly, "Is Rinoa friends with this guy?"

Placing a finger on her chin as she looked thoughtful, Selphie started slowly, "When I think about it, Rinoa hasn't talked to him _explicitly_. But I'm pretty sure she's glanced his way once or twice since Cloud came to school. Not to mention, she _was_ the one to show him around campus 'cause she was class rep the day he transferred in. Other than that, I haven't seen her interact with him much."

"I see…" Squall nodded, letting his mind relax. He was just jumping to conclusions earlier this morning then.

"But," Yuffie pointed out, Squall's mind once again active, "isn't Rinoa, like, interested in him? When I found her during class recess, Rinoa was hopelessly staring at him! And I mean the stalker-ish kind."

_Rinoa isn't like that… Is she? _Squall questioned. He wanted to voice his opinions, but decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

"Who was I staring at?" a voice asked as it waltzed in. Turning around, Squall saw Rinoa smiling as she made her way to the table, "Sorry I'm late! Extra lessons are so not fun!" She decided to sit in the available seat by Squall and winked at him, "How's the first day of school back?"

Squall shrugged, trying to keep the smile from forming on his lips, "Same old, same old." Rinoa giggled and Squall could only soften his gaze as she leaned forward on the table to better chat with the girls.

"So anyways, who was I staring at?" Rinoa asked again, looking for a definite answer.

The black haired girl grinned devilishly, "Oh you know…tall, blond, and handsome…"

"…Seifer?"

"Psh, no!" Yuffie waved off, missing Seifer's penetrating death gaze, "Should I have said 'not-so tall, spiky blond, pretty boy from your homeroom' instead?"

Rinoa just stared blankly, "…I'm still not following you, Yuffie…"

"For the love of Hyne!" Zell exclaimed, no longer patient with the guessing game. He grabbed the photo of Cloud and the piano and shoved it in Rinoa's face, "Cloud! She was talking about Cloud Strife dammit!"

Rinoa grabbed the photo from Zell and gasped, "Hey! When did you take this picture! I was in the room with him the whole time too!"

The entire table went dead silent as everyone stared at Rinoa; some glances were amused and some glances were screwed up funny. Squall's mind was running a mile per minute, _Wait. What does she mean 'was in the same room with him?' Were they just talking or—_

"No wait! It's not what you think!" Rinoa quickly let out, flailing her arms around. She hastily explained, "The lessons I had to stay behind for! It was because the student I had to teach was Cloud! I was forced on him… No—! I mean the teacher forced me to _teach _Cloud how to _play_ the _piano!_ "

The table was quiet once more until Seifer, Zell, Irvine, and Yuffie laughed out loud simultaneously at Rinoa's confession. Quistis and Selphie tried to keep their laughter down for the sake of their good friend, but snorted giggles still escaped them. The only ones who weren't laughing were an embarrassed Rinoa and a very uncomfortable Squall.

"You…You were forced—!" Irvine started through his laughter.

"To teach him… 'piano'—!" Zell continued as he gasped for air, doing air quotations with his fingers.

Through Seifer's booming laughter, he smirked, "I'm sure Spiky knows where to hit all the right 'notes' now Rin!"

"Oh man! I should've stayed to take more pictures of your 'tutoring session!'" Yuffie fell back into an open chair as she held her sides.

Rinoa looked between everyone, her face as red as a tomato. She quickly stood up with as much determination and shouted, "You Mea—!"

_**SLAM!**_

Everyone flinched at the violent impact made on the table and fell silent. As they grabbed their bearings, every person at the table slowly looked up at the man who was the cause of the noise. They all focused on an angry looking Squall who was standing up, palms face down on the table. He had his eyes closed, but the expression on his face and the aura he exuded told everyone that he was, for the most part, very pissed off. His hands were slowly retracting into fists.

"Um…Squall…" Rinoa whispered quietly, afraid that any loud noises would make the brunette snap. She gently touched his arm in concern, "Are you alright?"

Squall knew he was being irrational the moment he slapped the table with rage. He couldn't stand how his friends were teasing Rinoa…about that _guy. _Every sentence they threw out there made Squall scream inside. Rinoa wasn't an easy kind of girl. She had her pride and Squall knew that. The entire group knew that, yet it angered him how easily his friends joked about how "cheap" Rinoa could be.

Taking deep breaths and calming down from Rinoa's touch, Squall slowly opened his eyes, "I'm okay. Just…need to get out of here." He grabbed his wallet and tossed the money for the soda he drank on the table. After grabbing his school bag, Squall reached for Rinoa's wrist and led her away, replying to the group calmly, "See you all tomorrow."

He heard a few grumbles and quiet farewells as he left with Rinoa out the door.

[][][][][][][][]

It was awkward as the stepsiblings made their way down the street in their neighborhood. They were about a block away from home, but they spent the entire walk together in silence.

After thinking about his actions, Squall couldn't help but feel bad for letting his emotions get to him at the restaurant. He knew his friends would make silly comments about each other, including Rinoa, but today had been quite different. Maybe it was because Squall had to find his niche within that group of friends again. Six months away from home probably caused a strain in maintaining the right balance he should've had with his friends.

Rinoa cleared her throat, catching Squall's attention. He looked to his side then behind him and found Rinoa planted in a spot a few steps away. She placed her hands behind her back as she stepped forward, exaggerating every step she took, "You weren't yourself when I came into the restaurant. Did something happen earlier?"

She walked her way right up to Squall to face him directly and tilted her head. Squall looked away. How was he suppose to tell her that he got upset for her sake? He turned around and began walking again asking coolly, "Doesn't it make you mad that they tease you like that?"

Rinoa quickly followed beside him looking forward, "Was that it? Squall, they always tease!"

"I know but," Squall defended turning to face her, "what they said… It was really pushing it wasn't it?"

The shorter of the two looked up with firm resolution as she answered, "Of course it annoyed me, but I can handle it Squall. You know I never take things like that seriously. What's wrong with you?"

"It just bothered me that they made you seem so…easy to get with…" sighed Squall dejectedly as he turned away again, adding mentally, _It's far from easy just to be with you…_

Rinoa sighed as well, but she smiled. Patting Squall's shoulder she comforted, "C'mon Squall. I know I'm not easy and you know I'm not easy. Heck, _they_ knowI'm not easy! Sure, maybe they took the joke a little too far, but they didn't mean any harm. I'm sure they're feeling bad about it right now. You know everyone loves you and want to see you happy right? They want to make sure that our precious 'baby' is 'smiling' all the time!"

"…That's not funny Rinoa," Squall warned, realizing Rinoa was now joking about him.

He always felt that within their group, they had officially appointed him their leader. He didn't know why, but it irritated Squall to no end that they always "babied" him directly or indirectly. Squall was pretty sure everyone only did that get him to act more openly with them. Unfortunately for Squall, it worked most of the time; the episode in the restaurant being one example.

Grinning as they continued walking, Rinoa asked, "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, whatever," Squall simply replied. He heard her giggling and it was enough for Squall to forgive his friends' comments.

Rinoa always had a way with dealing with Squall's behavior. Whether he was shelled up or furiously expressive, Rinoa knew solutions to calm him down. She, along with Ellone, was one who could explain most of Squall's nonverbal actions just by looking at him. The brunette was glad that she understood him, however he wished more than anything for her to understand his complex feelings for her.

"Hmm… But am I that transparent?" Rinoa thought out loud, looking at the sky. Squall glanced at her with a questioning gaze. She continued, "Squall…can I tell you something?"

_Anything, _Squall answered inwardly then replied, "What is it?"

Rinoa looked down at her feet in embarrassment, "I think everyone already figured it out but you; since you weren't around last semester… Still, I should actually tell someone so people don't make their own assumptions. And…you're someone I really, really trust."

Squall's look never wavered, "Rinoa, whatever you say, I'll listen to you."

Thinking for a moment, Rinoa laughed, "You're right!" She skipped ahead of Squall before twirling around to face him again. Squall's heart stopped at the sight of her. She was smiling radiantly and her eyes were filled with so much life. Rinoa let out happily, "I'm in love with Cloud Strife!"


	4. Rivaled Abilities

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **Okay so I figured I shouldn't be making promises I can't keep. TT_TT Sorry about that... I guess I'll just try to update whenever I can. Please don't hate me! The story WILL go on!

So yeah… A chapter I figure is a bit out there and a little boring. Can't write anything action-y worth crap, but I tried and to be honest, this was plausibly the only way I can see these two meeting. XD LOL  
I still wanted to incorporate the whole "fightin' with pointy sticks," but I also didn't want to overdo it by adding random weapons! O_o Believe me, I tried researching on different sword practices allowed in schools, but none of them really fit what I was going for…so I fused a few of them together. Haha. XD

As always, thanks so much to my readers! :) I checked the viewing stats on this and was glad to see a leap from before! I'm so happy people are finding this interesting! LOL And of course, my lovely reviewers: _Scribbleness, saya, Freyjadour, Tiny Cherie, _and_ Rusts! _Thanks for taking the time to comment!

* * *

"_Together forever  
Those words are just temporarily sweet at that moment  
Why are you not affected, while I'm hurting so much?"  
~ GDragon: Heartbreaker_

[][][][][][][][]

"You're…what…?" Squall let out blankly. Did he hear her right? Rinoa. _His_ Rinoa…in love? With Cloud?

Rinoa covered her face with her hands as she turned away embarrassingly, "Squall! Don't make me repeat it! That was my first time admitting it to someone else too! And it's hard!"

Squall tried to rid himself of the thought by shaking his head, but it never left, "But…he's…Cloud's…" What _was_ he?

"I know, I know…" Rinoa waved with a hand, "He's someone you _never_ knew about until today I guess; but Cloud's really, _REALLY_ amazing!"

"How so?" he challenged with a tiny scoff. His response was in the spur of the moment as Squall was too caught up with how Rinoa described the blond as "amazing."

"Well, Cloud's the mysterious type: quiet, cool, and oh so calm! But! Cloud is also kind and caring; although he has a hard time showing it I'll admit. He helped me one time last semester when I was stuck with class duty by myself," Rinoa began. She stood in place as she blushed slightly.

Squall could only look at her with curiosity, but at the same time with underlying resentment. He couldn't fathom that the girl before him was truly stuck on someone of the opposite sex when she had dated countless others without actually being "too attached." He couldn't help but think that maybe Rinoa was deluding herself in some fantasy she read in a book and then placed all expectations on this one guy.

Rinoa placed both hands to her chest as she affectionately whispered, "We didn't talk much and I don't think he remembers me from that one time, but he smiled at me! It was a genuine smile too; his first one that entire semester. I think that's when I… began to notice him a lot."

[][][][][][][][]

"Glad to have you back on the team, Squall! We can always use that quick play of yours!" exclaimed the spiky haired young man. He grinned happily as he pointed down the hallway with his thumb, "C'mon! Training hasn't changed much since last year."

"Whatever," Squall mumbled as he followed the older man. It had been almost three days since Rinoa's open confession and he had been crabby as of late. Although Squall promised Rinoa he'd listen to anything she would tell him, it hurt when she had admitted to loving someone. And it was someone Squall had no solid information on.

In the past, he was able to keep tabs on Rinoa's crushes including Seifer. For Squall, knowing who she was infatuated with gave him the chance to evaluate whether or not they passed Squall's criteria as "date-worthy." Even though he knew it was impossible to be her boyfriend, he still wanted to make sure that whoever dared date Rinoa would be one to treat her right and make her happy. Of course, the many boys Rinoa dated didn't last long in the relationship because they were too intimidated by her "older brother." Everyone misinterpreted his actions as being that of an overprotective brother, but Squall knew otherwise. Although he did want someone who could cherish Rinoa, Squall couldn't think of anyone better for the role than himself. It was a selfish thought, but how was he ever suppose to see her with someone else? If Squall wasn't in love with Rinoa, then yes, his actions would only go on the borders of a doting brother.

Squall couldn't help but feel happy ever time Rinoa ended a relationship. He _was_ guilty of scaring away some of the young woman's suitors, but in the end, Rinoa would ultimately state that it was nothing serious and move on. It was like that for as long as the brunette could remember. Seifer was the only person Squall would admit to be a threat, but even then the fireworks faded in time. All Seifer could hold with Rinoa was having the record for dating her the longest. Squall had honestly believed things to be in the clear until Cloud showed up. This newfound interest Rinoa took in a guy Squall had just learned about worried him.

Whenever he saw the blond in the hallway, Squall would physically analyze him and wonder what it was that made Rinoa fall for him. Unfortunately, his evaluation only lasted for mere seconds at a time and he never shared classes with Cloud to do a thorough assessment. He was attentive to conversations between Rinoa and the others if Cloud was ever mentioned. Squall would examine Rinoa for any reactions to the keyword and sometimes he would notice the tiniest changes in her body expression. However, the conversations were of a teasing nature and weren't meant to be taken seriously; they never went so far as to explain why Rinoa was so fond of Cloud. Squall couldn't understand how Rinoa could like the guy if the only true contact they had was from last semester and their one-time encounter in the music room days ago. It confused Squall to no end that he began showing his irritation every so often.

"You okay Squall?" asked the veteran sword player, Zack, in curiosity. He had graduated from Esthar High the year before, but stuck around to help coach his old team. Squall would be a liar if he said Zack was a slacker because the black haired man was far from it.

Zack was well respected by many of his peers; students and teammates alike. He was funny in and out of classes, but when it came to swordplay, Zack was serious and played with a passion. Squall heard from Selphie that Zack placed 1st in the Nationals back when he entered high school. It was an impressive feat, and many strived to reach Zack's level of professionalism in the sport.

Running a hand through his hair nonchalantly, Squall replied coolly, "Yeah."

Zack smirked with a hum, "You never change."

Opening the door to the training room, Squall could see the club members practicing. Although the club was about swordplay, the art itself was practiced with wooden swords; of which all members were using. Everyone wore the appropriate equipment: body amour, protective gloves, appropriate pants, and the protective mask. It shielded the player's entire face with a semi-translucent mesh, but it was lightweight and the player could easily see through it. The helmet also gave each player a sense of mysterious as it was almost impossible for a player to view his opponent's face. It added to the challenge of trying to read your opponent for his next move during a match.

Watching people training gave Squall the itch to practice as well. While in Deling City, he never had time to do anything sports related; so falling back into his old club habits was a welcoming thought. Some people were training against practice dummies, others fought with live opponents, and a few just sat around and slacked off. A prominent occurrence Squall saw was that some members didn't wear the protective helmet. Although it was a requirement due to safety reasons, there was an unofficial "rule" that went on in the club about wearing the mask. First years and newer members of the club usually wore the helmet because they lacked experience in the rather aggressive sport and opted to protect themselves. However, those with previous experience preferred training without the helmet. The mask distinguished the rookies from the pros.

Zack shouted with playfulness in his voice, "Alright guys! Let's gather 'round and make it quick!"

The members listened to their mentor and everyone gathered in the middle of the training hall near Zack and Squall. Crossing his arms and acting seriously, Zack explained, "I'd like you guys to meet one of the best swordsmen I know! He was studying abroad until recently, so some of you may or may not have known him before joining the team last semester. This here is Squall Loire: AKA the Sleeping Lion!"

A lot of whispers were spoken among the members of the team:

"There were rumors of someone named 'Sleeping Lion,' but I always thought it was a myth…"

"Sweet! With Loire back, we might make it to the finals yet again this year!"

"I heard the guy was legendary for finishing off his opponent with eight quick slashes when he's reached his 'limit' in a match…"

"He's doesn't look very threatening for a guy named after a lion…

"With a name like 'Sleeping Lion,' I was expecting someone a lot more…hairier?"

Squall tried as much as he could to ignore the comments. He honestly didn't need to hear the opinions of others on how they viewed him. He was good at what he did, that's all. He never once let comments like that inflate his ego. He turned his head away as he crossed his arms and sighed quietly to himself.

"If he's so special," started one of the team members unimpressed, "then I want to see just _how _special his skills are!"

The brunette wanted to roll his eyes at the ignorance of that comment, but held back. Looking at the commenter, Squall assumed he was a 1st year that had just started. His form and posture were too laidback and he didn't hold his weapon with a proper grasp from what Squall saw earlier. From the corner of his eye, he saw the amateur smirking with arrogance. Squall's pride wouldn't let him back out of the challenge.

Zack declined with a shake of his head, "He just got ba—"

"Arrange a match," Squall cut in calmly.

"Huh!" Zack replied in surprise as he stared at his underclassmen.

Squall shrugged slightly, "I don't mind. I just need to borrow the equipment for today."

The violet eyed man was going to refuse, but after seeing the determination on Squall's face, he gave in. "Alright, alright," Zack sighed exasperated. He ran a hand through his hair as he decided on Squall's opponent, "Then your sparring partner will be…him!" Zack pointed to a member sitting in the back behind the many other members.

The selected person was still wearing his helmet and looked around the members, making sure Zack was picking him. As a double-check, he pointed to himself confusedly, "Me?"

Zack laughed as he nodded, "Yes you! C'mon, Hazy Wolf! Up and front!"

Squall was puzzled as to who the masked person was, _'Hazy Wolf?' Why does Fair feel the need to _affectionately _give everyone a name? _

It took the brunette a few minutes to pick equipment that fit him before he went to the change room. Squall had switched into the appropriate pants which gave players more flexibility and mobility when playing and also into a more breathable under-amour shirt. He then proceeded to put on the padded body amour and protective gloves. Feeling adequate and ready, Squall left the change room as he made his way into the designated "battleground," facing his opponent.

They got into position, wooden swords forward and anticipation running through their blood. Although Squall was experienced in swordplay, he had decided to mimic his opponent in wearing the helmet. He really didn't want to, but Squall didn't want to look like a show-off for not wearing the protective mask as well. If anything, Squall wanted the match to look fair in front of his peers. But then he started to wonder… Why in the world did Zack pick this guy as Squall's challenger? The blue eyed teen was sure Zack knew the unofficial rule that if you wore a helmet during practice, you were still a learner. So why did he pit Squall against a supposed newbie? Or could it be that the "newbie" only hid his talents under a mask as well?

"And…START!" Zack initiated, acting as mediator for the match.

Squall put his thoughts on hold as he decided to draw first blood by swinging his wooden weapon horizontally, aiming to hit his opponent's side. The opponent was quick to notice and guarded his side before swinging forward. Squall blocked it and continued to swing the wooden sword towards his opponent. Surprisingly, Wolf was quite skilled, blocking every one of Squall's advances before trying to sneak in an attack of his own. Squall had to be honest, he hadn't spared with someone this good since Seifer, and that was when Squall had been in a foul mood.

When both players clashed for a moment, face to face with each other, Squall couldn't help but interject tauntingly, "You're pretty good for someone I just met."

"Likewise. Give me all you got," his opponent replied back in a smooth voice and Squall could've sworn there was a smirking intention in Wolf's statement. The brunette found himself smirking as well and decided to respect his opponent's request. Amidst the hollering and cheering from the other club members, Squall threw all the skills he knew against Wolf.

Time flew as Squall realized the difference between himself and Wolf's skills. Squall considered himself to be quicker, more fluent sword user. He made sure that when he struck at his opponent, he tried to induce rapid strikes at one time in quick succession. The damage was light, but because Squall utilized multiple slashes in a single go, the damage would be substantially by lather, rinse, repeat.

The Hazy Wolf was quite the opposite. He never attacked as fast as Squall, but the power he packed with each swing was heavy and, if misjudged, produced devastating results. Wolf even incorporated feints during his offense. He would pretend to swing on one side, but then changed to slash in the other direction. Squall was caught off-guard a few times, but he was able to find a pattern to block his opponent's moves.

The Sleeping Lion and the Hazy Wolf balanced each other in areas the other could not perform in.

As the match drew close to an end, Squall decided it was time to pull out his secret technique: the Renzokuken. Taking a step back from Wolf, Squall took hold of his sword using only his right hand. Hazy Wolf was slightly surprised, but Squall didn't give him much time to think. Rushing forward, the brunette began his technique with a vertical slash. Once again, his opponent blocked it successfully, but was unable to recover his stance to defend against Squall's quicker horizontal swing. Squall took advantage of Wolf's openings and continued to swing for another five times, all hitting the mark. Smirking to himself, Squall prepared to deliver blow number eight.

Swinging his weapon for his last powerful dive, Zack interrupted, "That's enough!" Squall stopped short of his opponent in confusion. It was then he realized Wolf was positioned in an offensive mode; his wooden sword placed just below Squall's left hip. It left the brunette wondering how his opponent managed that.

Seeing his confusion, Zack explained, "While you were busy performing your Renzokuken, Wolf here adapted to your style. I guess he found an opening as you were going to perform your last swing." Zack demonstrated the motion Hazy Wolf would've taken, swinging an invisible sword diagonally upward from Squall's left hip, "See? If I let it continue, you would've hit, but you'd also be forfeited of a weapon… Pretty good, huh?"

Squall was trapped in bewilderment. It was the first time anyone quickly found a way to disable Squall after performing Renzokuken. From Hazy Wolf's perspective, he had figured that since Squall ignored the use of his left hand, he was sacrificing hit count over weapon grip. Thus by swinging his sword diagonally upward from the left, Wolf would've knocked Squall's weapon out of his hands. The Lion had to admit he was impressed.

"Wow! That was so intense!"

"I can't believe we have people like that on the team…!"

"Great; not only do I have to reach Zack's level, I have to surpass those two!"

The other members excitingly discussed the demonstration match with much fervor. Squall himself was glad to have had such a partner. He hadn't felt the rush of adrenaline in a long time.

_Hazy Wolf is definitely someone to watch for,_ Squall praised as he removed his head gear.

Zack grinned as he smacked the backs of both Squall and Hazy Wolf, "Man, you guys are for kicks! Squall's Sleeping Lion really does hold up its name right? Always pouncing on your prey when you think you've got the momentum, huh?"

Rolling his eyes before wiping the sweat off his brow, Squall replied, "It's best to go on the offensive when the timing's right."

"Yeah, I knew you'd say that," Zack grinned cheekily. He then turned his attention to Hazy Wolf, praising him also, "And you! Great job, buddy! Adapting to the situation quickly, throwing out unpredictable actions; you have to admit, 'Hazy Wolf' is a perfect name for you, Cloud."

Squall's head snapped up, _Cloud?_

The masked member sighed as he too removed his helmet, finally revealing his identity. Squall stiffened at the sight of him. Eerie, light blue eyes, spiky blond hair, and a determined look on his face… It was the guy Rinoa had set her eyes on. Squall had been sparring with the girl's love interest for the past few minutes and he was praising him just moments before! At least the brunette found out one thing, Cloud wasn't weak.

Frowning slightly, Cloud replied to Zack, "It's more of a mouthful than 'Spiky.'"

Zack laughed out heartily, "'Hazy Wolf' is only for club! 'Spiky' is for everyday use!"

Cloud shook his head with a knowing smirk. He made his way to Squall, offering a hand, "That was a good match. I'm Cloud Strife by the way, 3rd year."

Squall looked at Cloud's hand before reluctantly taking it, "…Squall Loire. 3rd year as well."

The blond nodded and then tilted his head in thought. As he released Squall's hand, Cloud asked, "Loire… I'm pretty sure I've heard that name before. Do you have relatives in the school by any chance?"

Irritated by the question, Squall snapped, "I don't remember wanting to explain my private life to you."

Taken aback, Cloud apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean any harm."

"Whatever," Squall finalized, picking up his helmet and headed for the change room. He coldly stated to Zack, "I'll be returning the club next week after adjusting to my other responsibilities."

The black haired young man could only nod as he and his blond friend watched the brunette storm off, looking to each other in perplexity.

[][][][][][][][]

Once in the change room, no one dared to step in the room with Squall in a foul mood. He stood there for a moment before slamming the borrowed helmet into one of the lockers in frustration. Taking a few minutes to breathe, he sat down on one of the benches and began removing the equipment from his body. Squall didn't know why he left the training room so abruptly. He was fine up until he found out that it was Cloud he was sparring with.

Cloud… Somehow, every time Squall heard that name, something inside of him snapped. He couldn't help but feel that the blond had somehow invaded his personal boundaries not physically, but mentally. Everything about the blond annoyed him to no end; Squall just couldn't understand _why_. He had only met Cloud formally today and he was already shrugging him off without reason… And that wasn't like Squall at all.

Sure he never got to know anyone unless he really wanted to, but with Cloud, he had already labeled him into his "People to Avoid" list. As Squall continued change back into his school uniform, he thought of everything Cloud could possibly have that he himself already didn't possess.

Was it the leaner, more solid body frame? No, Squall never believed in "muscle makes the man." As long as he was physical fit and capable of lifting things within the limits of his body, then he was fine. Was it Cloud's communication skills to joke freely? No, Squall didn't really care if he got his point across verbally. He was able to use his nonverbal actions to speak for himself and his friends and family were the only ones he felt obliged to communicate comfortably with. Was it Cloud's ability to manipulate or adapt to a situation quickly? No, Squall believed in learning at his own pace. Not only was Squall more the type to follow the book, he was inclined to go analyze the many outcomes of a situation instead of impulsively picking one and sticking with it.

So if it wasn't Cloud's body build, communication skills, or adaptation that made Squall mad, then what was it?

"_I'm in love with Cloud Strife!"_

He stopped putting on his shirt as Rinoa's confession ran through his head. Squall thought about everything Rinoa mentioned about Cloud as he sat in the empty room. Cloud was amazing; he was mysterious; he was caring; he could smile genuinely; he was _everything _Rinoa envisioned as perfection. Her every word bounced off the walls of the change room and rebounded back to Squall with as much force and pain as when he first heard them.

Looking down, Squall frowned in realizing what it was that caused him to lash out at Cloud's guiltless question. It was jealousy that triggered his rash outburst. The one thing that Cloud possessed (although he didn't know it) was the one thing Squall had longed to gain for years.

Squall was jealous because Cloud had truly won Rinoa's heart.


	5. Out and About

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **Ah~ It's been a while once again. :) How is everyone doing? I hope everyone's enjoying themselves as I suffer school and all that comes with it. LOL Anyways, this chapter was giving me problems, but I hope you still find it enjoyable. I realize I'm still moving at a slow pace, but I'm hoping to pick up speed soon!  
Oh, and just in case, I'm going warn you that the chapters may get longer… This is I think the longest chapter so far!

Thanks to everyone who reads and takes interest in the story! Let's next forget my reviewers either: _Tiny Cherie, Scribbleness, Emerald-Latias, say, 6jrz422! _I'm trying to apply what opinions you guys give me and hopefully I'll be able to pull them off. If I don't, I'll practice some more as I go along. :)  
Like I mentioned the first time I uploaded a story, I'm not much of a writer. LOL I'll work hard though!

* * *

"_Please don't hold his hands  
Cuz you should be my lady  
I've been waiting forever, so please look at me"  
~ Tae Yang: Wedding Dress_

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Days soon turned into weeks as Squall found himself settling back into routine at school. He found his rhythm again in no time and soon afterwards, he remembered all the little things he used to do. It was as if he never left Esthar in the first place. Squall went to school, attended classes, spent time with his friends and, if duty called for it, filled in as class rep during student council meetings. Everything felt the same, but so much to him felt so different—

"Squall, do you want to go to the shopping district with me?"

—and it was all because of her.

Squall, who was lying down on the couch reading a novel, looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow. Rinoa was busying herself with putting a jacket on then proceeded to wrap a white scarf around her neck. She glanced at Squall, waiting for him to answer.

The brunette sighed before turning his attention back to the book in hand. Never looking away, he asked in a bored tone, "What for?"

He heard Rinoa say, "Is that really your response?"

Squall imagined Rinoa placing her hands on her hips as she asked and he would bet Gil that she was doing just that. He expanded on his reply, "I meant why do you want to go there? Didn't you already go with Julia the week before?"

"I did…but I forgot to get something…" Rinoa trailed off, sounding ashamed.

Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, Squall could see Rinoa playing with her fingers as she looked to the floor. He honestly didn't know why she looked so defeated. Rinoa was usually smiling and Squall liked it when she was happy. She was supposed to be shining with energy and he was the one who fed off her energy. With her like this, Squall couldn't help but feel depressed; and he was usually the pessimistic embodiment in the family.

"…What is it?" Squall asked monotonously as he sat up on the couch scratching the back of his head. Rinoa stayed silent until she noticed Squall gazing at her with his piercing blue eyes. It was Squall's "special" way of getting someone to talk. There was something about his eyes, he thought, that got people to start talking.

Falling under the pressure of his stare, Rinoa spilled, "I…I forgot to buy the latest installment of the novel series I'm reading!"

A moment of silence passed before Squall repeated, "…Novel series?"

"Y-Yeah! You know, _The Sorceress's Knight?_"

"Yes."

"Well the third book came out last week! I forgot to ask Mom if we could stop by the bookstore. So want to come?"

"…Have fun with that," Squall answered, lying back down on the couch.

"What! Squall!" Rinoa bursted out, walking over to her stepbrother and prying the book of his hands, "You have to come!"

"I _have _to come?" Squall stressed, grabbing his book back, "You were _asking _if I could go with you; and I gave you an answer."

Rinoa stubbornly replied, "But you have to come!"

Lifting the upper half of his body slightly, he questioned, "Why do I have to go?"

"Because I…I don't want to go to the shopping district by myself…" Rinoa blushed as she took a seat on the couch edge beside the brunette. Squall could have laughed at her expression then, but he decided to hold back. He thought Rinoa was extremely cute whenever she was blushing. As Rinoa continued to look away from Squall in embarrassment, he couldn't help smile slightly in secret.

He placed a hand on top of her head to pat her. Rinoa's hair was soft and silky between his fingers. His mind was telling him to embrace her, but he bit back his desires as Rinoa turned to face him curiously. Quickly ridding himself of his small smile before she saw, Squall replied in a vague tone, "Don't take the whole day finding that book."

Understanding his meaning, Rinoa grinned happily before latching herself to Squall in a tight hug, "Thank you SO much Squall! You're the best!"

On his part, Squall was taken aback, being stiff and awkward as he returned the hug with a slight pat on the back. "R-right. Just…just get off me," Squall requested quickly.

"Oh yeah; personal space. Gotcha," Rinoa reminded herself, moving at arm's length. She glanced at Squall and smiled before quickly planting a short kiss on Squall's cheek. The brunette jumped slightly at the sudden contact and his eyes widen after Rinoa removed herself from him completely by standing up again. His surprised expression caused Rinoa to giggle, thinking she caused too much of a shock for Squall, "Sorry! I was just really happy that you were coming! Anyways, I'm gonna go grab my bag and then we'll leave, 'kay? Hurry up and get ready!" Rinoa ran out of the living room and her footsteps suggested that she headed to her bedroom upstairs.

Squall stared after her until she disappeared. He sat there unmoving before taking in a deep breath. Squall ran his hands through his hair as he exhaled slowly. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, hands together, and head lowered. It was silent for a while until Squall quietly whispered, "Don't be so careless, Rinoa. I just might attack you next time…"

[][][][][][][][]

"How about this one Squall?"

"It's okay."

"…Then what about this red one?"

"That's nice too."

Rinoa stared blankly at her stepbrother before hanging both articles of clothing on the rack. She pouted with hands on her hips, "Squall, I appreciate you coming with me, but you're not being a very good shopping buddy."

_So sue me if I don't have a fashion sense…for _women's _clothing, _Squall rolled his eyes as he stood up from his chair, "Whatever."

Seeing she wasn't going to get anything more from him, Rinoa narrowed her eyes before throwing her hands up in the air, "Fine, fine… Let's look around some more."

"What?" Squall groaned as he followed Rinoa out the door. He rubbed at his temples while questioning, "I thought we were just going to the bookstore. Didn't I say _not _to take the whole day doing so?"

"We're going there, but we might as well look around. The process would go a whole lot faster if _someone _decided to be a little more upbeat today," Rinoa deadpanned as she looked from store to store for anything of interest.

Squall sighed in irritation, but knew he couldn't complain. It was his decision to follow Rinoa so he knew he had to finish what he started; even if it was insufferable. However, he should have realized beforehand that Rinoa would want to do more than just "go to the bookstore." Watching Rinoa dart her attention elsewhere, Squall sighed again.

Women.

Why is it that they liked going from place to place at the shopping district just to kill time? It wasn't as if they could buy every little thing they see in each store, so why couldn't they just buy what they need and leave? Or better yet, why couldn't they just keep their attention forward instead of getting sidetracked?

"Oh a puppy!"

…Then again, Rinoa ran in so many directions that Squall had officially filed her in a separate category all together. The raven haired girl was peering over the pet shop window, tapping the glass and giggling at the puppies chasing her finger.

"They're so cute!" she cooed as she smiled affectionately at them, "I wish we had a puppy!"

The brunette stood beside Rinoa, glancing at the pups with his hands in his jacket pockets, "Dad and Julia would probably say no."

Curious, Rinoa looked up at him, "And why do you think that?"

Squall shrugged casually, "With your grades, I don't think they're going to spoil you anytime soon."

"Hey! That's not…all true…" Rinoa trailed off unable to retaliate. Sure her grades were a little shaky in some classes, but their parents wouldn't turn her down if she asked to have a dog…right?

Seeing the look on her face, Squall couldn't help the chuckle he was suppressing escape from his mouth. Rinoa snapped her view towards Squall and her mouth dropped. She slapped him playfully on the arm while mocking anger, "Squall! That's _not_ funny! I nearly had a heart attack!"

"Then don't believe in everything I say," Squall teased as he began walking away.

Rinoa caught up with him seconds later and linked her arm around Squall's, pouting childishly, "Meanie Squall."

The brunette smirked at her as they continued walking towards the bookstore. It was usually very busy in the shopping district, but surprisingly enough the arena wasn't today. It made it easier to get around without having to bump into so many people and Squall was thankful for it. Unfortunately, he also wished that the temperature inside the arena would change to a much warmer one.

_It's always so cold in here, _Squall complained as he sneezed a little, _This is why I hate coming here…_

"Are you cold Squall?" Rinoa playfully asked in a sing-song voice.

Without looking her way, Squall answered, "No." He was soon stopped as Rinoa pulled back on his arm. Squall finally turned to her only to find her wrapping her white scarf around his neck. Surprised, he let out, "Rinoa…"

"It's okay. You can borrow it," she smiled gently, patting the scarf down when she was done, "Just give it back to me, alright?"

Squall lowered his gaze as he nodded, keeping the blush from creeping up on his face. As they continued walking, Rinoa hugging Squall's arm and doing a little window shopping, the brunette couldn't help but think they were on an indirect date. He smiled to himself at the thought.

"Oh! There's Karen's Bookstore!" Rinoa pointed when said location was in view. She squeezed Squall's arm and grinned up at him, "I'll be right back!"

"Don't take too long," Squall chided once again with a small upturn of his lips. Rinoa giggled with a nod before unhooking herself from her stepbrother. She waltzed her way into the bookstore and Squall shook his head while running a hand through his hair.

Scanning the shopping arena, Squall couldn't help but feel a little bored since Rinoa left. He glanced down at her scarf and smiled. Grabbing the fleecy end, he rubbed his fingers against the fabric. Typical Rinoa. She really liked the fluffiest and softest things and the scarf was no exception.

As he stood there, the brunette soon realized Rinoa was taking a long time buying her book. Thinking she was having a hard time finding it, Squall decided to enter the bookstore to help her. It didn't take him long to reach the store, but the inside of it was like a maze. He checked the row upon rows of books until he spotted the person he was looking for. Rinoa had yet to see him, so he decided to sneak up on her as "punishment" for taking her sweet time once again. When he stood only a few feet away, Squall realized Rinoa was talking and giggling with someone. Curious, he looked where she was facing only to be faced with surprise.

"Aren't you cold? It's kind of freezing in here," asked the blond, Cloud, in slight concern.

Rinoa shook her head as she smiled, "I'm fine! Besides, I only came to buy my book before someone gets a little crabby!"

"Oh you're here with someone?" Cloud asked with a smile back.

"Yup! So I have to hurry or I'll get in trouble," she hugged her book to her chest.

"Well then," Cloud spoke while unwinding his black colored scarf from his neck, "At least stay warm until you actually reach your friend."

The blond wrapped his scarf around Rinoa's neck as she glanced up in surprise, blushing at their close proximity, "Cloud… You don't have to—"

"Rinoa," Squall called out, making himself known to the other two. He could understand if Rinoa only wanted to chat, even if it was with _him, _but Squall only had so much patience after witnessing how intimately close Cloud and Rinoa were getting. Squall quickly glared at the other man before looking at Rinoa, "Did you find your book or what?"

Snapping out of her trance, Rinoa playfully looked at Squall and pouted, "Hey! Give me some credit here! It's right here in my hands!" She shoved the book in his face while laughing.

"I see…" Squall trailed off, already knowing that it was the book. But he was wondering why she never went and paid for it if she already found it. Could it be that she spotted the blue eyed blond and wanted to stay longer, even though she _was _with company? Staring at the fabric around Rinoa's neck, Squall monotonously asked, "Is that Cloud's scarf?"

Blushing slightly, Rinoa sheepishly nodded, "Y-Yeah. He lent it to me because he thought I was cold." She glanced up at Cloud, who slightly upturned his lips in response.

_Right. Because you were "cold," _Squall scoffed, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. He then stated with a raised eyebrow, "If you were cold, you didn't have to give me_ your_ scarf you know."

"Rinoa's scarf?" whispered Cloud. His whisper was only meant to be heard by him, but Squall managed to catch his murmur. Something about Cloud's tone sounded…surprised. Very surprised.

Rinoa, who didn't hear Cloud, placed her hands on her hips and answered Squall, "But you _were _cold! You even sneezed! This is why you should dress up properly buddy!"

Squall rolled his eyes then, "It's not like I was going to die without a scarf Rinoa."

"I don't care. When we leave the house, you're supposed to dress for the weather."

"You weren't exactly dressed for the weather when I saw you in the living room last night. Pajama pants and a tank top?"

"S-Shut up! I said when we _leave _the house! Not when we're _inside! _And I was comfortable in those!"

"Are you…" the stepsiblings looked at Cloud who interrupted. His eyes darted between Squall and Rinoa before slowly stating, "Are you two…dating?"

Rinoa's eyes went wide, "What! N—"

"Yes," Squall quickly but calmly replied, earning shocked looks from both Cloud _and _Rinoa. When they were arguing, Squall noticed Cloud's expression became grimmer and grimmer with every exchange he and Rinoa shared. Squall gambled that Cloud was getting the wrong idea of his and Rinoa's relationship. It was a bullseye and the brunette wasn't going to waste the chance to keep Cloud away from Rinoa. Maybe even permanently.

"Oh…that's understandable…" Cloud nodded almost sadly. He turned to Rinoa and said in an almost vague tone, "So Squall's the 'someone' who was waiting for you huh?"

"Well…yes? But, no! Wait, it's not like th—!" Rinoa tried to explain but was cut off by the ringing of a phone. Cloud's attention shifted to his jacket pocket as he pulled out his black cell phone and excused himself from the awkward conversation. Rinoa's mind, from what Squall could assume, was running a mile an hour as she looked to find some way to get herself out of the mess Squall landed her in. The girl quickly narrowed her eyes at Squall who looked in another direction, pretending not to notice Rinoa's deadly glare.

Snapping his phone shut, Cloud turned to the other two and replied, "Sorry about that. It was my workplace."

"O-Oh. You're working right now?" Rinoa asked after easing out of her "I'm-going-to-kill-you-Squall" glare.

"Yeah," the blond lifted a bag up in one of his hands, "They want me to deliver this ASAP."

"But then why are you here if it's something important?" Squall imposed in his usually bored tone, purposely trying to make Cloud's life hell at the moment.

"I was on break, but I guess I lost track of time," Cloud answered numbly, the intensity of his eyes matching Squall's. Somehow, Squall knew that Cloud was secretly glaring at him. They glanced (or rather glared) at each other for a few seconds, neither faltering nor blinking.

Rinoa, sensing some sort of tension between the two men, cut in cheerily in hopes of dissipating the heavy atmosphere, "So what exactly is it that you have to deliver, Cloud?"

"I can't tell you," answered Cloud with a voice void of emotion. Rinoa was taken aback by his quick and cold reply that she couldn't formulate a reply. Catching his response to her, Cloud sighed quietly before walking past Rinoa and Squall, "I better get a move on. I'll see you at school, Rinoa…Squall."

Recovering out of her faze, Rinoa called out, "D-Don't work so hard!"

Squall smirked to himself inwardly as he watched Cloud leave in a hurry. He felt he had accomplished a mission before someone slapped him on the arm. Not playfully like usual, but _hard. _Holding back a wince, Squall narrowed his eyes at the girl beside him only to see she was angry. He was surprised to see her so mad, but the brunette didn't show it on his face. He calmly stated, "What?"

"Don't 'what' me!" Rinoa coldly replied, trying to contain her anger. Pointing her index finger to his chest she continued, "How could you do that! Why did you say THAT!"

The brunette merely rolled his eyes, "I was joking."

Rinoa mouth dropped as she angrily squeaked, "You were _joking!_ Saying 'yes' that we: you and I,_ brother _and _sister, _were DATING! How the hell is that funny!"

_It's not funny and I was being serious because I want that to be true, _Squall argued inwardly, verbally answering, "Look, it's not my fault if Cloud was taking it seriously."

"You—!"Rinoa snapped before turning away. She took deep breaths as she ran a hand through her hair. Finally calming down, Rinoa quietly asked without glancing at Squall, "…You know I like him right?"

Painfully, Squall quietly answered back while lowering his gaze to the floor, "Yeah, I know."

Almost tearfully, Rinoa looked at Squall while searching for an answer, "Then why did you say that?"

_Because I don't want him around you, _his expression never moved from the stoic one he was using, "Because I don't like him."

It was silent between both of them before Rinoa scoffed. Squall felt a sting in his heart after looking at Rinoa's cold expression as she walked past him with her book in hand, "That doesn't mean I'm _not _going to stop liking him."

His gaze followed Rinoa's disappearing form once again and Squall began contemplating if what he did was right. Sure he felt happy that Cloud was going to possibly avoid Rinoa for the time being, but Squall didn't realize how strongly Rinoa opposed his dislike towards the blond. It was the first time she ever looked so coldly at him when it came to her crushes and it somehow scared him that Rinoa was capable of such dark feelings. He didn't want Rinoa feeling that way, but in doing so meant he would have to allow Cloud in; and damn it if he should.

Lowering his gaze, Squall realized he was still wearing Rinoa's scarf. He buried the lower half of his face into the white fabric and inhaled the girl's lingering scent. He closed his eyes as he concluded, _Just stay mine, Rinoa; even if for a while longer._

[][][][][][][][]

She couldn't take it anymore. She _had _to talk to him and make things clear.

Rinoa fidgeted with the bag and cell phone in her hands as she waited closely by the classroom door. School had just finished for the day, but when the bell rang, Rinoa decided to wait until a certain someone's class duties were over.

Since the awkward encounter during the weekend, Rinoa couldn't help but feel like her whole world was about to explode. Cloud's passive and stoic nature was taken to a whole new level and Rinoa knew deep down that it had something to do with her. She decided to make things rights between them, even if it meant she might have to beg for his forgiveness.

"Rinoa?" snapping out of her thoughts, Rinoa looked to see Cloud standing close. She jumped back a little in surprise. Cloud stepped back and scratched his head, "What are you still doing here? Aren't you going home?"

She answered with a slight blush, "Y-Yeah… No! Your scarf; I'm giving it back!" She stiffly shoved the bag to Cloud's chest while her eyes were downcast.

Cloud looked blankly at her before gazing at the bag and taking it, "…Thanks."

"No problem," Rinoa quickly answered as she placed her hands behind her, _That sounded so stupid… _She felt a pat on her head and looked up surprised.

"You better get home before it gets dark," Cloud cautioned gently with the smile Rinoa remembered from the first time they talked. He removed his hand from her head and walked away before casually stating, "That is unless…Squall's walking you home."

"That's—!" she quickly let out. Rinoa threw her arm forward to stop the blond's line of thinking, only to forget she had her cell phone in hand. The phone suddenly went from being in Rinoa's possession to sliding on the floor beside Cloud's feet. Both occupants in the hallway were silent in awkwardness.

_Smooth Rinoa. Not only does he think you're dating Squall, but now he probably thinks you're a ditz, _Rinoa mentally slapped herself, blushing furiously. As Rinoa continued to beat herself up, she failed to notice the figure looming over her, _Hyne, this is so embarrassing! Stupid Squall! Why did he have to—_

"Ahem," Cloud cleared his throat. Rinoa snapped out of her thoughts to look in his direction only to find him standing in front her. He held out his hand, "Your phone."

Rinoa had to take a few seconds to register what he said before glancing at his hand. It was then she realized he was giving back her phone. She sheepishly answered, "T-Thanks!" Rinoa tried to grab her phone as calmly as she could until she brushed fingers with the blond momentarily. She nervously recoiled slightly after taking her phone back, "Sorry."

Cloud only stared at her before sighing. Leaning against the wall with a hand in his pocket, he asked curiously, "Something bothering you?"

_Many things,_ Rinoa replied with a hint of nervousness, "There's a few things…"

"Like what?" he asked, deciding to look at her.

"Well…" Rinoa trailed off, playing with her phone strap, _Where do I begin?_

Noticing her uneasiness, Cloud chose to speak up, "If this is about what happened in the shopping district then… I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable."

"Huh?" was Rinoa's brilliant answer.

She looked at the blond as he continued his train of thought while looking down at his feet, "My behavior that day was wrong. I was just so…surprised. You and Squall…I never realized you were dat—"

"We aren't dating!"

Cloud looked at her with raised eyebrows and spoke in a confused tone, "Pardon me?"

Trying to keep her blush under control, Rinoa looked at Cloud with fiery determination to finally clear up the whole misunderstanding, "Squall and I aren't going out! We're siblings actually so…"

The blond stared blankly at her before turning away with a slight smirk.

Rinoa was surprised at Cloud's reaction. She was a little annoyed that he was finding her dilemma funny with his stupid, handsome smirk. The young woman was fretting over how Cloud would perceive her, but now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, he was laughing at her? She was expecting some sort of reaction, but smirking tauntingly at her after summoning up her courage to fix things?

Letting what little annoyance she had take over, she sternly questioned, "Are you making fun of me?"

"No, I just…" Cloud tried to explain as he slightly chuckled, "I'm not!"

Crossing her arms across her chest, Rinoa continued her interrogation, "Then why are you sneering like you just heard something funny?"

Before he could even catch himself, Cloud let out happily with a slight laugh, "I'm just relieved."

"What?" exclaimed Rinoa in surprise. She saw Cloud covering his mouth a little too late as he looked away. Her curiosity got the better of her as she continued to pry, "What do you mean you're 'relieved'?"

The blond took a deep breath before finding the courage to glance at the raven haired girl, "I'm relieved because I care about you as a friend—"

_Just a friend huh… _Rinoa's heart sank at his words.

"—and Squall just doesn't deserve to have you as a girlfriend. You're too nice for him," Cloud finished with a slight edge in his voice. Smirking a little, he arrogantly added, "But I guess I don't have to worry about that since he's your brother and all."

"You just don't know what he's like," he heard Rinoa say. There was something about her voice that sounded venomous. Cloud was confused when he saw Rinoa furrowing her eyebrows, "Squall's a caring person deep down, so don't talk about him as if you know him when you don't!"

Cloud furrowed his own eyebrows as he stood up straight, "I didn't mean to upset you, Rinoa. You're a really good friend, so I was just worried about you…"

Rinoa was still a little upset with how Cloud perceived Squall, but her rational side was telling her that it was the brunette's fault in the first place for making such an impression… Like always. Cloud's downed look wasn't helping Rinoa either as she felt guilty for snapping at him too. She must've meant a lot if Cloud considered her a good friend; even if she didn't want to be a "friend." Sighing she gently stated, "Sorry; I didn't mean to talk down to you like that. A lot of people misjudge my stupid brother so I'm kind of sensitive about it…"

"You're within your rights so don't apologize," he shook his head. Cloud's phone vibrated as he automatically flipped it open and read the apparent text message. Sighing tiredly he glanced back at Rinoa.

Almost certain what it was about, Rinoa smiled as she tilted her head, "Zack wants to play?"

Chuckling, he nodded, "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"My friend Selphie tells me he's always bothering you like a puppy," Rinoa giggled, "She's pretty keen on things like that."

"Then maybe I should ask her for some blackmail material so I can get Zack to stop pestering me," he joked. They shared a small laugh and it made Rinoa happy that they were on friendly terms. Throwing his bag over his shoulder, Cloud gave Rinoa a wave of his hand before leaving, "I'll see you later."

Rinoa nodded as she waved back, "Bye." She stood there for a while longer before deciding to move down the halls herself. Looking outside the window, she noticed Cloud gearing up before zooming out of the parking lot on his motorbike. Rinoa pressed her forehead on the glass, wishing her object of affection would notice her in a way beyond that of a friend.


	6. Intangible Surprises

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **Yes, the chapters are certainly getting longer. Haha. I was thinking of separating the content into two chapters, but I got too lazy… Ahem. So! Problems trying to write down this chapter as well. Guess I just couldn't figure out the ideal situation in which the important circumstances should happen. I should really plan more. TT_TT But, I really hope you enjoy! That's the main thing I'd like to ensure!

A huge thank you to all my readers and reviewers too! I really want to make you guys happy! Thanks to _Scribbleness, Tiny Cherie, Niqsta, Rinounafan, _and_ guess who_ (and on a special note to _guess who:_ time can only tell what will happen. XD)!

* * *

"_Don't be afraid that I would ever let go of your hands  
Even as I look at you now, you're so precious to me"  
~ Big Bang: Always_

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A shrill wail resounded through the room and Squall cringed while Rinoa let out an exaggerated scream from the bloody figure looming above them. The dark haired girl instinctively hugged Squall's arm for security, looking away from the figure that could come out of a horror film.

Squall rolled his eyes as he slapped the doll, showing that it was only make believe, "Rinoa, come on. You're seventeen already."

"So what!" Rinoa gasped, pulling away from her stepbrother, "It came out of nowhere! I was expecting that to happen, but the screaming caught me off guard!"

"That thing's screaming wasn't the only one I heard. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go deaf in both ears," Squall deadpanned, earning a slap from Rinoa.

Rinoa quickly walked forward, feigning anger without looking back at Squall, "Whatever! I want to hurry up and get out of this place!" Squall chuckled to himself before following Rinoa. She ended up backing up beside him after a motion-activated zombie tried grabbing her.

It was Halloween and instead of dressing up in costumes and hunting for candy, Squall was spending the evening with his friends…touring Esthar's highly successful haunted house attraction. Every year, the attraction added something new, combining the finest of Esthar's illusionary technology with horror classics and clichés. However, because of its nature, the haunted house was restricted by age limit.

Selphie, realizing her friends were about the age limit, suggested to spending Halloween night at the attraction. Squall really didn't want to go, but Selphie's pleas did not go unheard by Rinoa. The raven haired girl fell into Selphie's trap so Squall knew he had no choice but to come. However it was for two reasons: 1) Rinoa would've forced him to be more "social" and 2) Rinoa did not sit well with the horror genre in general. He didn't minded Rinoa's phobia to horror—

"AAHHH!"

—At least in this way, she would cling to him for the time being.

Rinoa buried her head in Squall's arm, "Why did you let me do this!"

"You were the one who told Selphie you'd go."

"But I was expecting you to stop me!"

"…I didn't notice the signals."

"Meanie!" Rinoa cried as they moved forward. The stepsiblings managed to clear one of the many hallways, coming to a room with a dance floor. It was there that the two found Selphie shaking on the floor among the pillars of the dimly lit room. Rinoa immediately released her hold on Squall and ran up to the shorter girl. Placing her hands on her back, Rinoa asked worriedly, "Selphie! Are you alright? Where's Irvine?"

Selphie whispered, almost scared, "He… He…"

"He what, Selphie?" Rinoa encouraged her friend to talk.

By then, Squall had walked his way towards the girls only to notice two crawling shadows making their way behind Rinoa. Raising an eyebrow, Squall deducted, _They can't be serious…_

"H-He was…" Selphie quickly whirled to face Rinoa, catching her off-guard as Selphie grabbed her shoulders and squealed, "He was eaten up by the monsters and_ it's right behind you!_"

"What!" Rinoa cried out in confusion, turning around. She was met with disfigured and grim faces with the shadows emphasizing the crevices of their skin. They let out loud roars that caused Rinoa to jump back into a pillar covering her face with her hands as she let out a horrified yelp.

Laughter could then be heard from the two monsters that clutched their sides as Selphie laughed away with them. She spoke through her amusement, "Oh my gosh! Rinny, I'm so sorry! But that reaction was priceless!"

"No doubt!" one of the monsters spoke in a familiar voice, "We knew you were jumpy, but not this jumpy!" Taking a sigh after amused laughter, the monster reached for the top of its head and removed the mask revealing none other than Irvine. Grinning, he nudged the other "monster" who was trying to quiet his giggles, "C'mon, Zell; joke's over."

"Aw, but it was just so funny!" the blond retorted, pulling off his mask. He grinned at Rinoa, patting her shoulder, "Rin, we're sorry. It was just…too tempting with you."

She slapped his hand away in disgust and went to hide behind Squall. Pointing to the trickster trio, Rinoa childishly commanded, "Squall! Go make them pay for being really mean! I demand vengeance!"

Squall merely rolled his eyes. Honestly, Rinoa could just be too childish sometimes. It wasn't like he didn't feel bad for her but…that reaction really was funny. Shaking his head while placing hands on his hips, Squall scolded everyone, "Grow up."

After the laughter and Rinoa's ranting died down, the brunette looked around the room. There was nothing particularly scary about this room, just some decaying pillars and empty tables. Not to mention eerie remixes of songs playing in the background with distorted voices. Squall assumed this was a rest point of sorts.

"So where are Quistis and Seifer?" Rinoa piped up, looking at the three.

Irvine shrugged, "Probably halfway through the attraction by now. Instead of taking in the sights, they're probably arguing the entire way out."

"And that my friends is called a 'date,'" Zell agreed. He stretched out his arms before smirking, "Anyways, shall we move on? Before Rinoa ends up with a panic attack?"

"Oh grow up!" Rinoa snapped, borrowing the words of her stepbrother. Grabbing Squall's arm, she stuck her tongue out, "We're going ahead so you won't cause any more trouble!"

Selphie giggled with a wave of her hand, "See you at the end of the tour, Rinny!"

"Avoid the dark corners."

"You never know what'll pop out."

"Ah! Shut up! Squall, we're leaving!" Rinoa finalized, giving Squall enough time to nod towards their friends before leaving.

Following the guided pathway, Squall and Rinoa ended up in another winded hallway. Squall knew Rinoa was frowning. She really wanted to leave and Squall wanted the exact same thing. He was getting bored out of his mind; not really scared of the illusionary ghouls and wailing ghosts. If anything, the robotic figures popping out were annoying him.

He felt Rinoa clutch his upper arm tightly for the umpteenth time this evening that he let out a sigh. Looking at her, Squall felt bad that she was almost close to tears. Catching her attention, he comforted as much as he could, "Rinoa we're almost out. Irvine said that there's a fork here where we can take an early leave."

Rinoa's scared, but rather cute expression made Squall's heart skip a beat, "You promise?"

"Yeah, I promise," Squall stated with a nod.

The raven haired girl believed him. She looked down, feeling rather embarrassed and cowardly. Squall thought anything but. These were just one of those things Rinoa hated and he understood that. He could still remember how she hated being in the dark alone when they were younger. Sometimes she'd sneak into his room at night just to feel safer. He didn't mind, and he didn't mind her fear right now. He would do everything in his power to try and ease it away.

Squall reached for Rinoa's hand and held it tightly. She looked at him bewildered, but he just gave her an encouraging smile. He led her down the hallway just holding her hand. He hadn't meant to, but Squall didn't know what else to do. It wasn't possible for him to start a conversation and continue it unless it had direction and he couldn't lighten the mood with a joke; that just wasn't him. So instead, he believed physical contact suited the situation best and what way was better than holding hands? Of course, his mind was trying to steer him to his most obvious reasons for doing it…

"Squall?" Rinoa called out after a few minutes in silence apart from the white noises.

"Hm?" he responded, shutting out his thoughts.

Rinoa squeezed his palm slightly before whispering, "Am I a bother?"

He raised an eyebrow. He peeked at her before looking ahead of him again, "No. Why?"

"Well I'm childish and it especially shows when I'm around you," Rinoa explained, "You don't think I'm annoying when I do that do you?"

_Maybe once in a while, but this is a side of you that only I get to see, _Squall thought. Her being childish around him made Squall feel as if that part of her belonged to him. Squall didn't want anyone else seeing that side of Rinoa's personality. He formulated a response, "We've known each other for years now, so I'm used to it. Annoying or not, that's what makes you 'you,' Rinoa."

Rinoa let the words sink in before smiling in agreement. Count on Squall to cheer her up. She hugged Squall's arm before following him again, "You spoil me!"

"Yeah, I don't know what I'm thinking," Squall smirked causing Rinoa to giggle.

She happily let out, "See? This is the reason why you'd be a good boyfriend! So hurry up and get a girlfriend already, Squall!"

Squall frowned slightly, asking, "What's this all of a suddenly?"

"Um… Well…" Rinoa mumbled. She didn't mean to speak about Squall's love life, but she couldn't help her curiosity. Thinking she should just talk about the problem, she did, "Well it's just…you've never had a girlfriend."

"And that's a problem why?"

"It worries me. I mean, I know I shouldn't pry into your business, but Squall, I worry! Sometimes I think it's because of your nature, but other times I think…"

"You think what Rinoa?" Squall continued his interrogation. They had stopped walking completely then, Squall facing his "sister" while waiting for a reply. What did she really think about him with his lack of companionship? It made him curious, but at the same time he felt disheartened.

Rinoa fidgeted with the hem of her shirt before finally answering, "Sometimes I think that I'm the reason you don't have a girlfriend…"

Squall blinked with a disbelieving scoff to hide the truth, "You're the reason?"

Rinoa nodded vigorously, "Yeah! We're always together and we don't exactly look like brother and sister because, well, we're stepsiblings. But anyways, I think most people get the wrong idea about us because of how close we are. Some of them don't even know we're family just by looking!"

_I don't really care, _Squall thought honestly, _I never wanted to be 'siblings' anyways._

"The point is," Rinoa continued with a cross of her arms, missing Squall's look of longing, "I don't want another episode like the one with Cloud happening again."

_Oh…him again… _Squall sadly thought. Frowning, he turned from Rinoa and walked away, "Oh I see where you're going with this."

Rinoa had a confused look as she ran up to Squall's side again. Looking worried, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"You don't have to hide it Rinoa," Squall coldly stated, narrowing his eyes at her, "You just want to give Cloud another reason why we're 'siblings.'"

"What? Squall, I never thought anything like that!" Rinoa argued, feeling hurt by Squall's assumption.

"I know you you're still sore about that whole 'joke' thing," he rolled his eyes continuing on his way. He didn't check to see if Rinoa followed him or not. His only focus was to exit immediately.

Rinoa stared at his back before she felt her anger rise. She was genuinely worried about him and Squall was once again acting on pride! She shouted, "You're unbelievable! I worry about you and you think this is about _my _love life! What's wrong with you!"

Squall finally stopped and the words left his mouth before he could think, "I don't need you worrying about my love life! I'm fine where I'm standing with it!"

"That's a laugh! Give me one good reason why I should believe you, Squall; really. As your sister, I want to know exact—" Rinoa began to retort, but Squall slammed a fist into the wall.

"You are _not_ my sister!" he halted in frustration with his head down; expression unreadable.

Rinoa was taken aback. She furrowed her eyebrows because of Squall's confession. She had always seen him as the sibling she's never had, but the feeling wasn't mutual? Then what were they during the course of their childhood together? Lowering her head, Rinoa trembled while fighting off tears she knew would appear, "I'm not your sister…? Then what am I to you, Squall?"

_Dammit! _Squall cursed at himself. He didn't mean to say that out loud, but his control flew out the window. He knew how much Rinoa valued her relationship with Squall and he was slowly destroying it. Glancing at Rinoa, he tried to answer, "You're… Rinoa, you're just…"

"I'm what Squall?" Rinoa glared at him.

The words just wouldn't come out. A part of him wanted to tell her the truth, but the other was afraid of the consequences that came with it. Instead of answering her directly, Squall looked away knowing he failed to mend the situation.

He heard Rinoa scoff as her footsteps approached him. She brushed past him quickly and Squall hesitated to look up. When he finally did, he saw Rinoa heading down the hall by herself. Concerned, he asked calmly, "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. And I won't need my 'brother' this time. I'll get out myself!" Rinoa shot back in disgust. She hurried down the hall until Squall couldn't make out her figure anymore. He wasn't sure if he should go after her or not, but the exit was pretty close and Squall figured she would want time to herself. Squall sure needed it.

Sighing, the brunette followed the path until he came to the fork. He looked at the signs showing which path led where. The right side of the hallway indicated that the attraction continued while the left side showed the way towards the exit. Squall wrestled with his thoughts. Should he leave right away and risk further infuriating Rinoa or should he continue on and deal with the annoying haunted house antics for a while? He weighed the options in his mind and finally decided to continue with the attraction. Squall wanted a little bit of a distraction and hell, wished he could run into someone familiar for an effective tangent. From what he remembered Irvine saying, Quistis and Seifer would probably keep Rinoa company since they were probably through the attraction by now.

With his decision settled, Squall walked down the right pathway. He tried to take in his surroundings, but his thoughts always landed back on Rinoa. Squall worried if there were minor surprises down the left path and wondered if Rinoa was alright. It pained him to think of her in tears and he couldn't help but feel guilty for letting his emotions get the better of him yet again. He shouldn't have jumped to conclusions; Rinoa was only anxious about him and he let her down.

Then it hit him that the hallway was getting less and less eerie. He raised an eyebrow wondering if it was the calm before the storm, finding himself at…the exit?

_What's going on? _Squall wondered. He took the _right _path…right?

"Squall!" the brunette looked to see Quistis walking up to him with Seifer looking irritated, "So you came out the exit too?"

"I took the exit?" Squall furrowed his eyebrows, "But I took the right path."

"So did we, but look at where we ended up!" Seifer huffed with a cross of his arms. He gestured with his head towards some of the maintenance staff, "Apparently they just found out some idiot misplaced the signs as a way to look funny."

"A lot of people are complaining that they aren't getting their money's worth out of the attraction because of the mix-up," Quistis added.

_So then…_Squall arranged the facts in his head. He looked at the pair, "So people who wanted to continue ended up leaving the attraction early, while people wanting to leave are still continuing?"

Seifer let out a snort, "Too bad for the chicken-wusses who wanted to leave like they're gonna have nightmares tonight."

Quistis gave him a hardened stare, "Seifer, that's not very nice."

"Wasn't trying to be," he simply shrugged.

Squall watched as people exited the house with confusion as staff tried to explain the situation. He didn't really care anymore about being in the house or not; at least he wasn't hearing loud noises anymore.

"_I'll get out myself!"_

Squall's eyes widened in realization, _Rinoa!_ If the signs were switched, that means Rinoa took the wrong path and was still inside the haunted house! Squall quickly pushed past Seifer heading towards the exit.

Before he could go any further, Seifer grabbed his jacket, "And where the hell do you think you're going?"

Squall glared at him while shrugging off his hold, "Rinoa is still in there thinking she took the exit. I have to go get her."

"But you can't go in that way. The staff won't let you!" Quistis tried to explain rationally. Although she was worried for the raven haired girl, Quistis knew that causing trouble wasn't going to help her situation.

"I don't care. I have to get Rinoa out of there!" Squall shot back venomously.

"Then how come you guys weren't together?" the taller blond bantered, narrowing his eyes. He matched Squall's glare while continuing, "You went in as a pair didn't you? Why aren't you holding hands now?"

Squall looked down. He didn't want to say, but it was his fault they got separated, "We… I made her mad and she walked down the path by herself to find the exit."

"What? Squall! You know Rinoa doesn't like places like these!" Quistis scolded, knowing Rinoa's insecurity.

"I know!" Squall replied nearly shouting. He took a deep breath before whispering loudly, "I know that, but I… Damn…"

The trio stood quietly before Quistis spotted a familiar figure walking in the background. Thinking he could help, she hurriedly ran over to the person and began speaking with him. Seifer followed his girlfriend's trail before frowning in disgust, "What the hell is _he_ doing here?"

Squall followed behind Seifer and looked at the person Quistis was talking to. It was a tall, dark haired man wearing a red bandana to somewhat keep his long hair out of his face. It was Quistis's ex, Vincent. Squall didn't mind his presence; if anything he held a certain respect for Vincent since he too liked his space. Seifer on the other hand just downright hated him for obvious reasons.

"Valentine! Why are you here?" Seifer hotly questioned standing closely beside Quistis. Squall rolled his eyes at the blond's possessiveness before realizing he's acted the same way with Rinoa several times. Damn their similarities…

"I'm working right now," Vincent's smooth voice replied, ignoring Seifer's glare.

"Working?" Squall questioned. He hadn't expected Vincent to work at a place like this, but then again, this was Vincent; he was an enigma. Shaking his head, Squall quickly asked, "Hey, is there any way I can get back inside without going through the first entrance? My…sister's in there by herself and I'm worried about her."

Vincent shook his head, "I'm sorry, but there's no way in unless you have authorization."

"Then get me authorization!" Squall tried persuading, "I just want to get Rinoa out of there!"

"Vincent please," Quistis nodded, understanding Squall's worry. She begged the quiet man, "Rinoa doesn't like haunted houses very much and she's probably scared out of her mind. Isn't there anything you can do?"

The taller man sighed, looking between Quistis and Squall. Unable to argue (or want to continue), he responded, "I'll see what I can do, but I can't guarantee anything."

Quistis smiled, "Please do what you can."

"And hurry," Squall added, making the urgency in his voice noticeable. He didn't want to waste any time finding Rinoa. Vincent nodded as he walked away towards a small booth, mostly likely for employees only.

It was quiet for a moment before Seifer piped up with an accusatory tone, "He wants something. I can feel it!"

"Seifer!" Quistis growled annoyed. The blonde couple began to bicker, but the brunette ignored them. Squall hoped he'd get to see Rinoa soon. He wanted to apologize more than anything right now.

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Rinoa hid her head in her arms as she sat on the ground waiting for someone to pass by. After minutes of walking down the path, not only did she not find the exit, but she came to row upon row of doors filled with nothing but mechanized ghouls and zombies. Rinoa thought it was a really, horrible joke and only wanted to leave. She was sure she took the left pathway that led to the exit, but not a single one was in sight. She gave up looking, opting to hiding in a relatively safe corner away from all things scary.

Why did it turn out like this? At least when she was with Squall, everything didn't feel as creepy…

She quickly shook her head, remembering she was supposed to be mad at him, _He doesn't think I'm family, so why should I have to worry about him? _It hurt her when he said that. She was expecting some other sort of outburst from him, but to know that he didn't think of her as a sister? It was painful and mean. She tried her best acting how a sister should be. Ellone wasn't a blood relative, but Squall wholeheartedly accepted her as a sister no questions asked. So what did she do wrong? Rinoa had a crestfallen look as she mumbled, "I probably _was_ annoying and bothersome…"

She was about to cry when she heard someone call her name, "Rinoa?"

Shooting her head up to look, she squinted to see who it was. She barely saw the silhouette of a boy's body, but the spikes on his head were noticeable.

Walking closer, the shadow asked again, "Rinoa, what are you doing here?"

Finally recognizing the voice, Rinoa gasped, "Cloud?"

He finally came into view, kneeling beside Rinoa. A confused look settled in his eyes when he tilted his head, "Why are you here? Are you by yourself?" She found it hard to speak. Before she knew it, tears escaped her. Cloud was taken aback by her suddenly reaction, "H-Hey, what's wro—"

Rinoa jumped into Cloud's chest, feeling relieved that someone had finally found her. She tightened her hold on his shirt and cried, "I was so scared…!"

Cloud slowly began wrapping his arms around her shaking figure and hushed her calmly, "It's okay Rinoa. You're going to be fine."

They stayed together like that while Rinoa tried to regain her bearings. When she felt better, she nodded and pulled away from Cloud while wiping some of the stray tears from her eyes, "I'm sorry for bawling like a baby. I was looking for the exit. I took the left path…."

The blond sighed and shook his head. He ran a hand through his spikes and replied, "That…That isn't your fault. You were at the fork before right?" She nodded. Cloud answered her, "The signs were switched; the left side was really to continue the tour and the right side was the exit."

Rinoa flew into shock and jolted to stand up, "WHAT!"

"I know, it's stupid," Cloud agreed, standing up. He looked down one of the hallways and explained, "I went to go and fix the mistake. When I was done, I found you here."

"But how come you knew the signs were wrong?" Rinoa asked with a furrow of her eyebrows.

Cloud fidgeted slightly while looking away, "I'm…working here."

"…But don't you do something else? Like deliver stuff?" Rinoa recalled him saying he worked part-time at a carrier service.

"This isn't my usual job. I was asked to do this by a friend just for today," Cloud replied. He looked to the ground in embarrassment, "I was…kind of short on cash…"

Rinoa stared at him before she let out a few stifled giggles. It soon exploded into laughter as she turned away from Cloud. She didn't know why he felt the need to be embarrassed, but it was really cute. Rinoa, through her laughter, had forgotten why she was so scared in the first place.

Displeased that he was being ridiculed, Cloud scowled, "You don't have to laugh."

"I'm—I'm sorry! I just realized how cute you are when you're embarrassed!" Rinoa put her hands up in defense. She was being honest when she answered, so she didn't think he minded since they were friends.

Instead, Cloud turned red and Rinoa was caught off-guard. He instantly looked away and Rinoa was frozen in surprise. She didn't mean to upset him; it was just her mouth running like usual. Rinoa permanently figured that no male liked to be called "cute" and she knew from experience; Squall's glare was enough evidence. She jumped to his side to apologize, "My bad; I didn't mean to make you mad!"

"…not mad…" she heard him mumble. The blond then looked at Rinoa blushing furiously as he found his voice again, "I'm not mad… Just wasn't expecting you to say that."

Rinoa blinked before smiling. He was different from Squall. The brunette would usually fume at her for calling him anything cutesy, but Cloud…he wouldn't take it as seriously. Poking him in the arm, Rinoa beamed, "Hey, do you think you can lead me out? I don't exactly want to be by myself."

Cloud gave her a small upturn of his lips. Nodding, Cloud pointed to one of the hallways, "We'll backtrack to the fork. It's the quickest way out from what I know."

Rinoa nervously nodded, _Great, I have to go through all those things again…_

Sensing her distress, Cloud assured her, "Don't worry, Rinoa. I'll get you out."

She searched for comfort in his blue-green eyes and smiled. Rinoa drew circles with her foot when she quietly asked, "Can I…hold your hand?"

"Huh?" Cloud let out surprised.

Rinoa blushed, "I feel safer when I'm in contact with someone."

It was silent for a moment and Rinoa thought her request made Cloud feel uncomfortable…again. She was about to wave off her comment as a joke when she noticed Cloud's outstretched hand in front of her. She slowly looked at Cloud and saw that he was glancing away, but blushing all the same. He calmly stated, "If it makes you feel better…"

She smiled at his sincerity and took hold of his hand as they both proceeded back towards the fork.

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Somehow, the hallways weren't as scary anymore. Rinoa wasn't sure if it was because she memorized where the surprises would show up or if it was because Cloud was with her. Neither had spoken since they left her spot, but she didn't seem to mind. She grew up with a particularly quiet person after all.

Squall…

She furrowed her eyebrows as she remembered her stepbrother. Rinoa's initial anger died down, although she was still hurt by his words. She wondered if he was looking for her after they had parted ways. Did he continue the tour or did he leave? Rinoa thought the latter since she had yet to spot him. None of this would've happened if she didn't try to pry into Squall's love life…

"Are you still scared?" Cloud interrupted her thoughts.

Rinoa feigned a smile as she shook her head, "I'm okay now."

"…Then why do you look so sad?" Cloud asked after a moment's hesitation.

Rinoa blinked in surprise, the blond's s gaze was piercing. She looked down as they continued walking hand in hand. Rinoa didn't want to pour out her problems to him, but she really wanted someone to listen to her, "…I feel like a selfish person right now."

"Why?"

"For one, I made Squall mad and then I got mad without apologizing…" Rinoa answered. When she didn't hear Cloud respond, she continued, "Now that I have you here, I don't have to worry about anything. But Squall's probably anxious because he thinks I'm all alone. I can't help but feel selfish."

She felt Cloud's hand tighten around her smaller one, "It's fine if you're a little selfish."

Rinoa laughed sadly, "You don't have to spoil me too, Cloud."

"But what if I want to spoil you?" Cloud spoke in a tentative tone. Rinoa took a glimpse at him confusedly and saw that his eyebrows knitted together. She wondered why he looked that way. Was he mad at Squall?

Thinking so, Rinoa waved a hand to dismiss the issue, "Cloud, if this is about Squall, we always find a way to make up! Please don't be mad at him."

"I didn't think anything of Squall. I'm only saying what I feel," Cloud stopped walking all together to face Rinoa. Something about his eyes seemed determined. Rinoa was split between curiosity and worry. From what she has seen Cloud think or do, this was definitely her first time seeing him so…expressive. Cloud walked closer to Rinoa and looked at their linked hands, "Squall…he's always held your hand like this hasn't he?"

Rinoa blushed while pushing strands of her hair behind her ear, "Only sometimes… When he feels like it."

"Feels like it huh…?" Cloud repeated. He then fixated his eyes on hers and asked seriously, "Can I hold your hand too?"

"W-What?" Rinoa stuttered in surprise. He was being so forward! She tried to lessen the awkwardness by stating the obvious as a joke, "We're already holding hands, Cloud."

Shaking his head, Cloud sighed, "That isn't…what I meant."

"Cloud?"

"I want to hold your hand every day. I also want to be…the person you can confide your worries in," Cloud expanded. He ended up grabbing Rinoa's other palm and gave both her hands a firm squeeze. Rinoa was speechless with his action; especially when he held a pleading glance, "Let me be the person you can go to, Rinoa. It doesn't have to be Squall."

Rinoa furrowed her eyebrows in puzzlement. What was he asking her to do? Was this…a confession? She should be happy right? Cloud was practically pouring his feelings the best he could to her and he was usually very shy! So then…why did a part of her feel scared to know his feelings?

She pulled away slowly, releasing herself from Cloud's hold and backed into a wall. Rinoa knew Cloud was looking for an answer, so she tried to organize her thoughts into words. Speaking quietly, Rinoa began, "What are you saying, Cloud? Are you telling me this as a friend or—"

Before she could even complete her sentence, one of the motion-activated monsters caught wind of Rinoa's movement. It jumped out of the wall close to Rinoa's left and let out a howling cry. Rinoa had forgotten about the monsters that were hiding in the walls and immediately jumped forward. She reached the closest thing for comfort before realizing she had latched on to the front of Cloud's shirt. She blushed with the thought of pulling away, but before she could, a pair of strong arms encircled her into a tight embrace.

By now Rinoa's heart was racing. She wanted to believe Cloud was only acting protectively, but the action proved to be something more. Maybe the nervousness she felt before was only because she was afraid of jumping to conclusions. But with the way the blond was acting, Rinoa needed confirmation. After a long moment of silence, Rinoa grew nervous and mumbled against Cloud's chest, "Hey Cloud? Do you like me?"

She wasn't met with an immediate response. It took him a moment before he lowered his head to whisper something into her ear. His voice brushing against her wasn't the only thing that made her heart stop; it was his confession that stopped her breathing all together.

[][][][][][][][]

In the time Vincent was in the booth, Selphie, Irvine, and Zell appeared out of the exit confused and sad and the attraction ended so quickly. Quisits quickly filled them in on what was happening. The news about Rinoa stuck in the attraction by herself earned a panic from Selphie. Her reaction was the same as Squall's, but the combining strength of Squall's male friends was needed to stop her rampage. Squall didn't blame her though; he wanted more than anything to storm into the house, permission or not.

Vincent left the booth a short while after and Squall took a few steps forward to meet him halfway, "Well?"

"I couldn't get permission for you to enter because of the liability of customers getting hurt. However, the manager radioed a worker already inside and asked him to find her," Vincent explained, hoping that Squall's worry would lessen.

It only fueled Squall's anxiety. He ran a hand through his hair as he sighed in annoyance, "That could take Hyne knows how long! It's a damn maze in there!"

Vincent shook his head, "It is, but apparently she was already found before the request was made."

Squall's head shot up, "What?"

"They're already heading for the exit. She should be appearing anytime now," Vincent concluded. Squall nodded before quickly thanking him. The brunette strode over towards the exit and heard his friends following behind him.

"So what did Vincent say!" Selphie demanded.

"Are you going in?" Zell asked after.

Squall turned to look at his friends (minus Seifer and Quistis) and shook his head. He explained after a calming breath, "Vincent said that someone's already found her and their walking to the exit as we speak."

Selphie let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, "Oh good. Any more waiting and I would've gone in!"

"Guns blazing right?" Zell joked with a raised eyebrow. Selphie let out an innocent giggle as she stuck her tongue out.

"Hello," Irvine whistled. Squall looked at him with an incredulously look, but Irvine just grinned with a tip of his hat. He nodded towards the exit, "Your sister princess has just left the building."

Squall hastily turned his head and saw Rinoa's familiar dark hair. He inwardly smiled and began walking towards her. Selphie and Zell ran past him to greet her while Irvine went over to notify the blonde couple only to interrupt another argument. Squall was still a little worried that Rinoa could be mad at him, but he was willing to take a beating until he could apologize.

Rinoa was pulled into a tight hug by Selphie and she was trying to calm the shorter girl down. Zell chuckled, giving Rinoa a pat on the back. Squall was glad she was around familiar faces, but then he caught sight of a person he didn't think he'd see. Zell turned around to face Cloud and gave him a handshake as thanks for saving Rinoa. Cloud merely nodded.

_Cloud…Was he the one Vincent was talking about? _Squall wondered, now lost in his thoughts. He had stopped walking all together thinking of reasons why Cloud was here. Squall was upset that he had to see the blond as of now, but if he was the one who rescued Rinoa, then he couldn't hate him for that right? If he wasn't there, Rinoa could still be stuck in the house. However, Squall just couldn't swallow the fact that he might owe the blond some debt!

"Rinoa I'm glad you're safe," Quistis's voice cut through his thoughts. He focused his attention and found that the group had travelled closer to him, Quistis giving Rinoa a relieved hug.

The raven haired girl nodded with a smile before Seifer ran up to her and ruffled her hair, "Damn Rinoa! If you don't want to go to a haunted house, just say so! All this because you disappeared!"

"Hey!" Rinoa cried, fixing her now messy hair. She glared at Seifer before playfully responding, "I missed you too, Seifer."

Seifer rolled his eyes as Irvine laughed at the relaxing tension. Squall gave a small smile before realizing Rinoa quietly walking up to him. He held a calm exterior, but his mind was in chaos. He wasn't sure if he should smile, scold her, or apologize right there and then. Rinoa played with her fingers as she looked at the ground. Everyone seemed to take the hint that Squall and Rinoa needed some privacy so they all scattered making up excuses to leave them alone. Squall was grateful; if anyone decided to stick around, he probably would've said something mean and unintentional out of embarrassment.

Deciding to break the silence, Rinoa looked at him shyly, "Hey."

Squall acknowledged her, "…Hey."

She smiled before placing her hands behind her back, "Squall, I'm sorry about making you worry."

"Don't be sorry. I should be apologizing for leaving you alone," Squall retorted. He looked away, "I'm sorry. What I said in there, I didn't mean it."

"So then…I'm your sister?" Rinoa tilted her head to look up at Squall.

As much as he didn't want to acknowledge that fact, he had no choice. If it could make Rinoa happy, he'd would nod and agree. Squall flicked her forehead playfully and smirked, "You're a sister alright. You're bratty, loud, and you're always in my face."

Rinoa rubbed her forehead before playfully tackling Squall for a hug, "You suck at giving a simple yes or no answer!"

Squall scoffed lightly while patting Rinoa's back. He then pulled her away and his heart calmed at the fact she was smiling again. It was then they both heard Zell calling them, "Hey guys! We're going over to the burger joint to eat! Let's go!"

Rinoa shouted back, "Alright, alright! We're coming!" She ran ahead and turned to see Squall glancing back at the attraction. She called out to him curiously, "Squall, are you coming?"

He paused for a moment before answering her, "You go on ahead. I have to talk with Cloud." He started walking away, but Rinoa grabbed his arm. She looked at him apprehensively and Squall sighed in understanding. She was worried he was going to bite Cloud's head off. Giving her a reassuring smile, Squall spoke, "I just want to talk. Go wait in the car."

She studied his face before nodding in agreement. Squall gave her the keys, and watched as Rinoa ran to catch up with their friends. He took a deep breath before walking towards the booth in search of Cloud. The least Squall could do was thank him…even if his pride willed him not to. He found Cloud talking to Vincent and was wondering what to do to get his attention. Squall didn't have to wait long as Vincent pointed him out. Cloud gave a puzzled look before excusing himself.

_Well, it's now or never, _Squall sighed with a cross of his arms. He waited by the door until Cloud was in ear-shot. He asked coolly, "You're working here now?"

"It's a side; for a friend," Cloud replied just as coolly. The blond closed the door to the booth before getting to the point, "What do you want?"

Squall looked away answering, "I'm obligated to thank you; for Rinoa's sake anyway. So…thanks."

"I'm just glad she's safe," Cloud shrugged. He paused for a moment before adding, "…And you're welcome."

They stared at each other, certain that the other person felt just as awkward with the situation at hand. Thinking he'd done his part, Squall hummed and began walking away. He didn't want to make the situation more aggravated than it already was, but something was biting the inside of Squall's mind. He stopped and, without turning around, asked, "Did Rinoa…say anything?"

Cloud blinked before answering, "Just mentions of how much she cherishes you."

Squall nodded, relieved to find that Rinoa still forgave him after his outburst, but he was more relieved that nothing happened between Rinoa and Cloud. He gave the blond a slight wave of his hand before continuing on his way towards the others. Squall was pretty sure the blond understood the silent gesture and made no attempts to verbally respond. However, what Squall didn't notice was that Cloud looked out into the distance, meeting the eyes of Squall's beloved stepsister.


	7. Kisses are Forever

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **The next installment has finally been released! :3 Thanks so much for people being utterly patient with me and my _very _slow releases! It final builds up at this point, but it'll only explode in later chapters! Hope you'll still be with me then! X3 Apologies if there isn't yet Squinoa, but by the next chapter or two, Squall will be more impulsive to create those! LOL

As always, I'm grateful for my readers and reviewers alike! Thanks so much everyone! To my reviewers: _6jrz422, Tiny Cherie, saya, Alessia Heartilly, Scribbleness, _and_ Funk3y Fre3sh! _I hope you guys continue to read!

…On another note, a shameless plug! My buddy _Scribbleness _has started a brand new story and I strongly suggest you guys read it if you have the time! If you're fans of FFXIII, then you'll definitely want to take a look! :3 Find it on her page or in the FFXIII crossover category with FFVIII!  
See, I'm still relating it to FFVIII! XD

Ciao for now! And please remember to R&R!

* * *

"_Even if you have someone else in mind  
As long as you keep that bright smile on your face  
It'll hurt, but I'll be okay"  
~ Taeyang: Baby I'm Sorry_

[][][][][][][][]

_Clank! _

The can of juice dropped into the dispenser of the vending machine. Squall lowered himself to grab the can and opened it, taking a long chug of the liquid. He let out a relieved sigh afterwards, signifying that he was satisfied. It was lunchtime now and yet Squall wanted school to end. His morning classes have been nothing but study periods since midterms in November were coming up. He wasn't worried; Squall studied every day, but now it felt like such a tedious task.

Squall sighed once more before inserting coins into a snack vending machine. He wasn't hungry per se, but he knew someone who would be because she probably forgot to eat. Pressing a few buttons had plastic wrapped cookies falling into the dispenser. Squall once again lowered himself to pick it up. He stared at the cookies, _It'll fill her stomach for now I guess. But her sleeping habits…_

He was worried about Rinoa's health. Squall knew she was taking her studies seriously, but maybe she was taking it too seriously. Many nights he had seen her bedroom light on past her bedtime. Squall tried reasoning with her to get much needed rest, but Rinoa was too stubborn. She wouldn't even take Squall's help for tutoring if she was having problems! Thinking she wanted to try and be independent, Squall dropped the subject. He believed that once midterms were done, Rinoa would be back to her normal self; sleeping in and all… At least he _hoped _for that to happen.

Shaking his head, the brunette adjusted the strap on his shoulder bag and headed down the halls towards the biology classroom. He and Rinoa had biology before lunch, but the raven haired girl decided to stay behind to ask the teacher a few more questions. Squall was hesitant at first, but gave in after Rinoa stared him down for once. However, she never said anything about _coming _back to pick her up.

_I gave her ten minutes... She should be finished now, _Squall reasoned with himself.

He reached the room in no time, taking a deep breath to prepare himself if Rinoa nagged at him for coming back. Putting on his stoic face, Squall slowly opened the door so not to interrupt anything. When he heard no retort, Squall poked his head into the room. As luck would have it, Rinoa was still in the room. However, she was sleeping at a desk with the side of her head buried in the fold of her arms.

_She's that tired huh? _Squall sighed with a small smile, quietly entering closing the door behind him.

Squall didn't spot the teacher so he assumed he left for lunch. Walking towards her, Squall placed his bag on top of a desk adjacent to Rinoa's. He leered over her, spotting that she worked on a few problems before taking a nap. There were scribbles here and there on the sheet of paper; most likely notes to remember. Squall smiled again as he leaned against the desk.

She looked peaceful sleeping even if it was only for lunch. Squall didn't have the heart to wake her when she was so tired. He folded his arms across his chest as he argued to himself, _But she still needs to attend class…_

"Mmm..." Rinoa murmured, hutching her shoulders slightly before relaxing again.

Squall looked at her before deciding he should wake her. He kneeled beside Rinoa's desk and gentle shook her shoulders whispering, "Rinoa?"

Rinoa fidgeted, but she only buried her head deeper within her arms. Squall rolled his eyes. Even in her sleep she was stubborn. Leaning closer to her, Squall spoke a little louder, "Rinoa, wake up."

He waited for a moment before seeing Rinoa knit her eyebrows together. Rinoa slowly opened her eyes and gazed at him. Tiredly lifting her head, Rinoa let out a yawn while rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "Hmm…?"

"About time," Squall shook his head. He got up from his kneeling position and pushed his bangs to the side of his face, "Here, I bought you a snack since I'm pretty sure you didn't eat anything."

He turned to grab his bag and proceeded to pull out the cookies. Squall heard the screech of Rinoa's chair and assumed she was standing up. Except when Squall turned back around to face her, he was surprised she collapsed into him; the food falling to the floor as he backed into the desk. Holding up her body, Squall raised his eyebrows surprised, "Whoa! Are you okay?"

Rinoa answered him with a weary hum. She ended up wrapping her arms around Squall's body in a hug and rested her head on his chest, "Just a little longer…"

Squall blushed with how tightly she was hugging him. He was willing to hold her up, but how was this comfortable? She was practically resting her entire weight on him! Squall shifted his position to better hold Rinoa and for his own comfort. Looking down at her, Squall whispered gently, "At least go to the nurse's office to rest. They have beds there for a reason."

She shook her head and held him tighter, "I like this better…"

_Okay, now you're just being bratty, _Squall rolled his eyes again. It wasn't like he hated this when he thought about it. However the probability of them being caught by unwanted company was very high and Squall wasn't too keen on becoming a source of gossip.

Rinoa's relaxed breathing broke him away from his thoughts as he glanced down at her again. She smiled as she rested in Squall's arms with eyes closed. Her serene look caused Squall to lower his barriers, making him feel like he was dreaming too with the way he was holding her. Squall lifted a hand to move Rinoa's bangs to the side of her face. He aroused her awake as Rinoa's eyes fluttered open again and gazed up at Squall. He smiled softly at her and apologized, "Sorry. This time I didn't mean to—"

He was cut off when he felt his lips being pressed by the sensation of another's; more specifically Rinoa's. Squall's eyes widened once he really thought about the fact that Rinoa _kissed_ himof her own accord. It was nothing more than a quick kiss, but it was enough for Squall to turn a deep shade of red. He failed to utter a word as Rinoa went back to snuggling his chest. Rinoa closed her eyes blissfully murmuring, "I must be dreaming, huh?"

Squall snapped to his senses, _A dream…? _

He studied Rinoa's face for a moment before slowly accepting the fact that she really _was _dreaming… Well at least sleep-talking of sorts. He was greatly disappointed that her spontaneity was only because she was in a daze. Squall had hoped that her actions were based on how she truly felt, but unfortunately, that was not the case. If this was something that Rinoa thought she was doing in a dream, then the person she probably planned to kiss could be none other than Cloud.

With that thought in mind, Squall felt his heart tighten in jealously. He hugged Rinoa closer to him as he forced himself to get over the fact that Rinoa was completely taken by the blond. There was no way he could stand a chance against him; especially since Squall was tied down to a bond he didn't want.

Closing his eyes, Squall took a deep breath. And then it dawned on him that this was Rinoa in a _dream-like_ state. If he was presumably playing the part of Cloud, he could probably get away with anything… He didn't want to use underhanded tactics to get Rinoa's attention, but this was his only chance to be with her like this and Squall didn't want to waste it.

"…I love you, Rinoa..." Squall let out as he watched for Rinoa's reaction. He finally admitted the words to her, even if she was in a sleep condition.

She looked up at him blankly. Squall could see her glazed-over eyes as she smiled up at him, "I love you too—"

_Cloud… _Squall finished for her in his mind to lessen the impact when she would say that name.

"—Squall."

Once again, Squall looked at her in surprise. Instead of saying Cloud's name…she said his.

Was this some sort of trick? Was she really sleeping? So many thoughts ran through his mind, but the truth still stared him in the face: Rinoa had said she loved _him_. And that kiss… She had given it with full intention of giving it to Squall in her dreams. These simple facts together made Squall hopeful that Rinoa was in love with him as much as he was to her.

As if to fulfill his role as Rinoa's dream counterpart, Squall lowered his head towards her. To her, this would be nothing but a dream. But to Squall, he would be kissing her for real. He felt the warmth of her lips enwrap his and Squall felt time had stopped. It was a kiss so surreal to him that he hoped _he _wasn't the one dreaming. This was one dream Squall did not want to wake up from. Rinoa reciprocated his kiss the way he envisioned. She wasn't scared or disgusted nor was she shy or resisting. It was a chaste kiss; a bewitching feeling that Squall would burn into his memory. Kissing Rinoa made his world feel complete.

However Squall's state of ecstasy was shattered upon hearing an intruder entering the premises. Regretfully, he ripped away from Rinoa to hastily glimpse at the door. His mind went blank when he saw Seifer staring at them; hand on the doorknob and school bag slung across his shoulder. Seifer had an unreadable reaction, but it was enough to make Squall dread what was to come. Squall, unable to hold Seifer's gaze, looked down with guilt now that his true colors were on display.

The blond didn't immediately react. Instead, Squall heard him sigh before the door was shut. The brunette was afraid to see if Seifer stood in the room or not. He didn't have to think long when he heard Seifer talked in a monotone voice, "Here I am asked to look for you guys and I see that? _This _is the reason you're so 'attached' to her?"

Squall spoke defensively without looking at him, "Say what you will about me. Rinoa…doesn't have anything to do with this." He looked at the girl in his arms who had went back to sleep amidst the situation.

It was silent for a moment longer before Seifer asked carefully while leaning against the whiteboard, "...How long have you been like this?"

Squall knew that it was better to come clean before any more damage could be done; he could trust Seifer with this secret. Gently moving the girl to sit in her desk, Squall answered, "Since we were kids, but I only realized it in middle school."

Seifer hummed in thought before shaking his head, "Suppressed for that long huh? You got problems, Loire." Squall didn't say anything. Seifer could ridicule him as much as he wanted, but Squall wouldn't give him the benefit of crushing his pride for loving Rinoa. He stood stationary before Seifer sighed, "Look, to be honest, I don't really care. If you want to date your sister, do it."

The brunette looked up at him in bewilderment. Seifer was one to make a big deal out of almost anything, but his confession was unexpected to say the least. Squall was sure that his little secret would've made things a little awkward. He asked without thinking, "You don't think it's strange?"

"I think you're a little muddled in the head, but it's not like what I say will make a difference," Seifer shrugged. He placed his hands in his pockets and looked at Squall with a serious expression, "My words won't mean a damn thing to you. And honestly, I always thought there was something wrong with the way you acted. Still do, but that's a different story."

Squall looked away in thought. He wasn't sure if he should be happy that someone didn't look down on him or worried that someone didn't care about his actions. Squall thought for sure Seifer would be an opinionated person, but the blond's unfeeling demeanor wasn't a useful view as Squall thought.

Seifer decided to conclude his explanation, "I don't care. But I am going to warn you on one thing: Unless you make things clear with Rinoa right now, not only will she suffer but you will too."

Squall clenched a fist before looking at Seifer determined, "I know."

They both heard quiet muttering coming from Rinoa, realizing that she was starting to wake up completely. She lifted her head up slowly while rubbing her eyes. Focusing her attention at the front, she saw the blond staring at her, "Seifer? What are you doing here?"

Seifer smirked as usual, "Morning Princess. Decided to wake up?"

Rinoa yawned as she stretched out her arms, "Whatever. I was tired." She rubbed at her eyes a little more before noticing another figure to her right. Rinoa lazily looked over before jumping back, "Squall!"

Squall blinked before giving her a small smile. He would pretend nothing happened while she was sleeping. He greeted, "Glad you're awake before fourth period starts."

Rinoa nervously looked down as she blushed, "I've been sleeping for that long?"

Squall nodded, "You were really tired."

"How long…have you been here?" Rinoa asked innocently, although she still avoided eye contact.

_How long? _Squall raised an eyebrow, notably confused by her question.

Seifer decided to cut in, lying, "Not long, but it's quite a treat to see that you drool in your sleep, Princess."

Rinoa blushed even more as she glared at Seifer, "I don't drool when I sleep!"

"I beg to differ," Seifer taunted with a roll of his eyes.

Squall let out a mental sigh of relief. He would have to thank the blond for diffusing the situation, but that could wait. Picking up the forgotten cookies, he gently whacked Rinoa's head with it and spoke in his usual voice, "Alright enough. Rinoa, you need to eat before classes resume otherwise you're going to starve for the next three hours."

Rinoa rubbed her head feigning hurt, but nodded quietly. She didn't look up to face Squall, but reached for the treat. When her fingers brushed against his, she pulled back slightly with a blush, "Oh! Sorry."

_She's so jumpy… _Squall thought, not sure why she was acting weird. All she did was wake up, so what could be bothering her? It then dawned on him that Rinoa was probably remembering her "dream" and the kiss… Smiling inwardly to himself, Squall pretended not to notice her strange reactions. Placing the snack on the desk instead, he sighed, "Whatever."

Seifer piped up, "Hey ladies, hurry up! I want to find Quistis before classes start!" He stood by the door impatiently.

Rinoa snapped out of her reverie and replied, "Oh wait! Let me pack up first!" She quickly gathered her materials and stuffed them in her bag while Squall whirled around to pick up his bag and placed it over his shoulder. The stepsiblings walked over to where Seifer stood and exited the room.

[][][][][][][][]

If there was one thing Squall wished he could ignore, then he wished he could've forgotten anything about Rinoa for the rest of the afternoon. They didn't share afternoon classes, but Squall had been replaying the kiss over and over in his mind; not to mention Rinoa's behavior once she had woken up from her lunchtime nap. Not once during the rest of the lunch period did she bother to look or talk to him directly.

He was usually antsy about her behavior, but since he was the cause (in what he thinks is a good way), Squall had let it slide. Rinoa was thinking about him and that was all that mattered. She was embarrassed because she was "kissed" her brother in a dream.

Squall smiled to himself in bliss. Rinoa was _embarrassed _because she kissed him. It was a silly thing to think about, but it made Squall feel special. If her dreams were like that, then she must've felt some sort of spark for him. He hoped Rinoa would become attracted to him after this ordeal in time. But he wished for it to happen soon!

Because of his thoughts being filled with so many "what-ifs," he wasn't able to concentrate in any of his afternoon classes. Quistis or Irvine, the only friends he'd seen for his classes today, would look over and find him staring aimlessly or constantly rubbing at his face. Even the teachers were speechless when Squall gave out the wrong answers to rather simple questions. People thought he was sick; maybe he was.

_Enough thinking about that! _Squall shook his head as he scolded himself. No, he had to take control! He couldn't lose himself in perceived emotions! Until Rinoa showed sure signs that she was truly fawning for him, Squall would not exceed his expectations.

He let out a long sigh as he wandered down the music wing of the school. Rinoa was tutoring piano today after school, but Squall decided to stay behind and wait for her. It was probably best to walk home with her since night came faster with winter around the corner. Squall wasn't using this as an excuse to watch Rinoa squirm in his presence…

"It was only a dream! A dream!"

Squall recognized the voice belonging to Rinoa as he neared the music room she was borrowing. His lips twitched at the topic of conversation. He didn't know who she was speaking to, but for Rinoa to openly discuss the "I-kiss-my-brother-in-my-sleep" dream, the person must be very trustworthy.

He could only hear the faint voice of another, but it wasn't so clear to Squall who it was. It mumbled as it was quiet.

Rinoa's response came afterwards, "Listen to me! It's only a dream! B-Besides, I don't think Squall knows about it…"

_I disagree, _Squall smirked in victory. If only she knew that the kiss was real!

"…I don't like it either way, Rinoa," the voice was distinct this time…and evidently male. Squall tensed at the sound; not only for being male, but a rather familiar male voice. His heart started to race as he denied who he thought it could be.

Rinoa spoke again, somewhat exasperated, "Well what do you want me to do to make you happy?"

Her question was met with silence.

Squall began to panic as he was now standing in front of the door. All he needed to do was open it to find out what Rinoa was doing and with whom. Squall gave himself a pep talk, _Just open the door. She probably stopped talking… That's it…_

No longer holding back, Squall quickly and almost violently opened the door wearing a slightly concerned look on his face. His mind was shot at the spectacle before him. There, sitting on the piano bench were Rinoa and Cloud; intimately close with Cloud's hand cupping Rinoa's cheek as he kissed her.

"Squall!" Rinoa exclaimed, breaking the kiss in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment. Cloud's expression on the other hand was stoic and unreadable.

Squall couldn't hear her speak. The only thing running through his mind was the fact that Cloud was there close to Rinoa…and he had kissed her behind closed doors. The brunette clenched his fist angrily as he hurriedly walked over towards the two occupants in the room. He ignored the horrified look on Rinoa's face when he swiftly connected his fist into Cloud's jaw, knocking the blond off the bench.

"Squall! Stop!" Rinoa gasped as she covered her mouth with her hands.

"Don't touch my her!" Squall growled as he grabbed Cloud's collar and slammed him against the nearest wall.

Cloud matched the glare as he bunched Squall's own collar in his hand. He ignored the fact that his lip was cut as he matched Squall's strength, pushing against him, "What gives you the right to call me out on anything!"

By now, Rinoa was trying to get in between the two. Squall snapped, slamming Cloud against the wall once more, "The fact that Rinoa isn't your girlfriend gives me a damn right!"

"I am his girlfriend!" Rinoa shouted out. She finally pried Squall off of Cloud the moment he was caught off-guard by her admission.

The brunette looked at her in puzzlement. Rinoa was giving Squall a look mixed with concern and fury. Squall narrowed his eyes at her, "What are you talking about Rinoa?"

She stood protectively in front of Cloud as she tried to glare Squall down, repeating, "I am Cloud's girlfriend!"

_No you're not! _Squall wanted to yell. He knitted his eyebrows together, his eyes darting between Rinoa and Cloud. Squall couldn't believe it! He couldn't form questions verbally, but they passed through him at a rapid pace. The major ones in his mind were _how_ did they become a couple and _when _exactly did it come to pass.

As if reading him, Rinoa had calmed herself to softly answer the brunette's unspoken surprise, "Yes Squall; Cloud and I are dating. We've been dating in secret for a while now…"

_I don't want to hear it! _Squall gritted his teeth. His heart was twisting in pain and shattering into pieces simultaneously. He was confused by all means, but realized the one truth: Rinoa had lied to him. Squall backed away slowly as his gaze settled on the raven haired girl, "You were…keeping this secret?"

Cloud was about to explain, but Rinoa gave him a shake of her head. Looking up at Squall with pleading eyes, she began, "I asked Cloud to keep it secret. I was going to tell you when the time was right—"

"And when exactly is that?" Squall let out a bitter laugh, "Why couldn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd be against it… You'd be mad."

"And you think I _wouldn't_ be mad when I find out like this!"

"Squall, please listen!"

The brunette shot up a hand and looked away. Rinoa took his request for silence as Squall took a deep breath. She had been keeping this secret from him and from everyone else she knew? Or was it just him? Rinoa would normally come out with who she was dating without hiding, but she intentionally hid Cloud Strife. Was Squall that untrustworthy?

…Of course he was. She could date countless guys, but he prayed to Hyne she would never date Cloud Strife. He knew, but for Rinoa to hide this from him…Squall felt betrayed.

"I need time to think," Squall quickly responded after the long moment in silence. He paced towards the door and grabbed the doorknob.

Before he could open it, however, he felt someone tug on his shirt, Rinoa's voice begging, "Squall, wait—"

He spoke in a dead tone, "Let go." Squall knew he was being cold, but he couldn't stand to face Rinoa right now. Once she let go of him regretfully, Squall slammed the door shut and left the music wing.

[][][][][][][][]

Squall had stormed down the hallways and out the main entrance of the school. Images of Cloud and Rinoa together wouldn't leave his mind and thinking about it made his blood boil. He stopped in front of the school gate to collect his thoughts. Maybe Squall heard wrong. Cloud didn't say anything; it was all Rinoa! She _does _say impulsive things when she was mad!

_But they kissed… _Squall bitterly pointed out, hands clenching into fists once more. That one concrete evidence backed up what Rinoa said. Nothing he could think of would ever deny the fact that Rinoa had willing kissed Cloud back.

"Dammit…"

"Squall!" he lifted his head and looked behind him. Rinoa was running towards him at full speed. He instinctively glared at her before facing the front once again. Rinoa huffed out of breath when she reached his spot pleading, "Listen to what I have to say—"

"You don't have to say anything. I don't care anymore," he lied coldly.

Rinoa furrowed her eyebrows in disbelief, "What?"

The brunette took a deep breath before turning around to face her. He held an icy stature as he explained, "I don't care who you spend your time with. If you want to spend it with Cloud, then go ahead."

"Squall—"

"You're finally dating someone you had a crush on for a long time right? Congratulations."

"You—"

He let out an ignorant smirk, "You must be happy…"

Rinoa frowned deeply as she swiftly lifted her hand and slapped it across Squall's face. He was left stunned by her actions. Touching the side of his face, Squall could still feel the warm sting of her palm connecting with his face. Squall looked at her in confusion and was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"You're such an idiot!" Rinoa yelled at him, hands firmly at her sides, "How would _you _know about how I feel!"

He hesitated to touch her hand when she looked down. Unable to do so, he glanced away.

Rinoa rubbed at her eyes as she continued her rant, "I wanted to tell you; I really did! But you wouldn't be happy right? You dislike Cloud so much that I was afraid to tell you! I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable, so I asked Cloud to keep us a secret until I was ready to let you know!"

Squall was taken aback. She was only keeping a low profile to spare his feelings? He asked quietly, "Are you…serious…?"

"Of course I'm serious! When Cloud confessed to me, the first thing that ran through my mind was you!" she cried out. Rinoa glared at him with watery eyes and Squall felt guilty for making her look so uneasy. Small tears escaped her while speaking in a broken voice, "I was happy because Cloud felt the same way I did, but at the same time, I was torn because that meant you'd be upset! You're my brother; my closest friend. I didn't want to hurt you…"

"Rinoa…"he took a step forward, looking at her in pain.

She was only trying to protect his feelings, but to Squall, she was doing the exact opposite. Rinoa was only increasing his suffering. No matter what she did, it only hurt Squall… However, no matter what Squall did, his actions only hurt Rinoa. It was a vicious cycle.

"I don't care anymore! Squall, you dummy!" Rinoa muffled out through her tears, covering her face in her hands.

She was shaking and Squall wanted to comfort her. He knew he was important to her, but not like this. Squall never realized Rinoa took his feelings into account when she wanted this relationship with Cloud. She cared about him so much that she went so far as to hide her relationship to spare him. It was the wrong way of doing so, but it was the only thing she could think of.

He was impulsive when he stepped in front of her and pulled Rinoa into a hug. Squall only hugged her tighter when Rinoa began to openly sob against his chest. He rubbed her back gently without speaking. What could he say? Squall inadvertently hurt her more than he thought. It was because of him that Rinoa was suffering from having to juggle her feelings and Squall's feelings at the same time.

_She's already suffering… _Squall inwardly mocked himself, seeing the irony in Seifer's earlier warning.

"Squall?" Rinoa sniffed after calming down. The brunette didn't reply, but Rinoa understood his silent gesture. She moved back to look up at him. Rinoa had cried out most of her tears although her eyes were red. Rinoa lowered her head, "I'm sorry Squall. I shouldn't have hidden the truth from you."

The brunette only sighed. He rubbed the back of his head as he lowered his gaze to the ground as well, "Don't apologize anymore. You had the right to. I don't…have control over your relationships."

Rinoa gazed at him with another sniffle. He really wanted to hug her again, but fought against that urge as he used his sleeve to wipe Rinoa's eyes, "Stop crying already you big baby."

"Ah! Meanie!" Rinoa retorted, trying to push away Squall's hand.

"…I'm sorry…" she heard him whisper. Rinoa tilted her head to see Squall looking away shyly. His eyes were downcast, but Rinoa knew he was feeling guilty, "I'm sorry that you had to think so much because of me."

Rinoa smiled at the sincerity of his actions that she let out a few giggles, "We both…worry about each other a lot."

_Yeah, we do… _Squall thought, his lips twitching to form a smile. He looked back at the school and immediately saw Cloud leaning against a school pillar. His arms were crossed as he watched the stepsiblings interact. Squall's faint smile immediately disappeared as he locked eyes with the blond. There wasn't any doubt that they had a mutual feeling hating each other.

"I-I guess I should clear things up with Cloud," Rinoa caught Squall's attention as she pushed her bangs to the side of her face. She smiled as she looked up at Squall, "We'll go home together alright?"

"What about him?" Squall gestured towards the blond. He wasn't mad about leaving the Cloud by himself, but he was slightly perplexed that Rinoa was still willing to go home with Squall instead.

Rinoa backtracked as she answered, "It's been a long day and I'm sure Cloud will understand." She rushed up to the blond. Squall didn't know what they were discussing, but whatever Cloud and Rinoa talked about seemed to flow smoothly; Cloud smiling for Rinoa had proven Squall's point. Rinoa smiled back as she entered the school building, leaving her stepbrother and now known boyfriend outside together.

They minded each other's own business before Squall noticed Cloud was walking towards him. He immediately put up a defensive front, pretending to ignore the blond's incoming presence.

Cloud stood there a few feet away from Squall and simply stared at him. Squall didn't give a damn about acknowledging him, never looking back at him. The brunette heard him speak in his solemn voice, "I know you and Rinoa aren't blood siblings."

"And so does the whole world," Squall sarcastically remarked, now looking at the blond with narrowed eyes, "What's your point?"

"She's your sister," Cloud deadpanned, returning the glare, "You can't love Rinoa the way I do."

Squall felt his hand twitch in his coat pocket, "And what makes you think I even care about Rinoa in that way?"

"Because not once did you didn't even call yourself her brother, and instead of calling Rinoa a 'sister,' you termed her as someone's 'girlfriend.' The way you acted was more of a boyfriend than a brother," Cloud retorted again. He took advantage of Squall's lack of response before heading back towards the school, "I don't plan on giving Rinoa to anyone; especially you, Loire."

Rinoa came out of the building by the time Squall and Cloud had finished their conversation. Squall had gotten two opinions that day about his feelings for Rinoa; both of which only made him sit on the fence once again. Squall watched as Rinoa said her good-byes to Cloud before she ran up to him. She noticed his troubled face and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he quickly answered, turning around and walking away. Was Squall only ever fated to be torn?

He felt his arm being hugged and he surprisingly looked to see Rinoa smiling innocently up at him, "I know you don't want to talk about it, but… If you have someone you like, you can tell me okay?"

Squall blankly looked at her before slowly nodding, "I promise…"

"Good! I'll support you all the way Squall!" Rinoa laughed, hugging his arm tighter.

He let out a curt chuckle, watching Rinoa's smile dance against the sunset. He closed his eyes as he answered her in his mind, _It's you._


	8. New Year Dedication

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **There must be something wrong…I'm updating so fast? Wow! Hahaha! On serious note, yes this is the fastest I've updated in a long time for this story. :) I'm so happy! Anyways, I hope you'll like this chapter too! Tried to make sure not to rush anything. Working on the next chapter now so it'll probably be up soon too. I'm so happy! -cries-

…Oh yeah. I also found your reactions to Cloud last chapter hilarious. XD Seriously, I was surprised, but in a good way. Haha.  
And yes, I still love Cloud. -heart-

Also have to thank my editor. She gave me advice I should use for the next chapter and also for finding typos. LOL Thank you dear! XD

As always, thanks so much to my readers and reviewers! I was really happy with the feedback last chapter! It really made me want to keep going and making things better! XD We are getting there! I swear to you we are! A shout out to my reviewers: _Niqsta,6jrz422, Scribbleness, saya, crepusculo4ever, Alessia Heartilly, Funk3y Fr3sh, _and_ lynn _(Note to _lynn: _Don't worry, I plan on bringing out Cloud's development soon)!

Have fun reading and remember to review!

* * *

"_Rummaging through the ends of my soaked memories  
I tell myself I can live just as well without you,  
But even if I pledge to do so, I can't help it"  
~Big Bang: Lies_

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"Good morning Squall!" Julia smiled at the brunette as she flipped the pancakes over on the shove.

Squall yawned against his hand before nodding to his stepmother and making his way to the dining table. Final exams were finally over and he had rewarded himself by sleeping in longer than he usually did. It was holidays in December now, but the New Year was soon to be welcomed. The holidays for Squall were nothing more than a period of relaxation for himself and no other.

Julia started up conversation cheerfully, "Are you excited for the New Year's party tonight?"

_Oh yeah. Hanging out at a formal party with senile old men sounds exciting alright... _Squall sarcastically thought as he rested his head in his hand. He let out a sigh as he tiredly answered, "It's better than nothing I guess."

The mother placed the pancake on a plate and set it in front of Squall. She smiled sympathetically, "I'm sorry dear. I know you'd rather be with your friends, but it's just this once."

"You don't have to apologize, Julia. Dad openly begged for us to go this year so...I can't exactly say no."

"Oh Squall! You're such a good son!"

"...I just don't want to see him whining later..." Squall let out, slightly embarrassed after being praised. Julia was a nice woman, but Squall still couldn't get used to receiving praise from a mother figure.

She simply giggled with a delicate hand over her mouth, "Either way, I'm sure Laguna is grateful. You don't give yourself much credit, Squall."

Squall scratched the back of his head in embarrassment before they both heard rushing footsteps entering the kitchen. Rinoa showed up looking rather panicked as she glanced at Julia, "Mom! Have you seen my shoes? The ones that go with my white dress?"

"They were in a box in the coat closet last time I looked," Julia answered looking thoughtful.

"Really? I'll go look again. Thanks Mom!" Rinoa hurriedly replied, dashing down towards the coat closet.

Squall simply stared blankly in bemusement. He had never known Rinoa to be so coordinating about which shoes fit which of her dresses best. Squall honestly wasn't sure if it was a "girl" thing or simply a new "Rinoa" thing. He shrugged before stuffing a piece of the pancake in his mouth, "She must be looking forward to tonight..."

Julia sighed happily, "It's probably because I asked her to accompany me when I sing tonight."

"Huh?" Squall blurted out absentmindedly. Laguna had boasted numerous times that Julia was going to be a star attraction at the New Year's party, but he had never heard of Rinoa performing alongside her. The brunette cleared his throat as he asked with a more coherent sentence, "Rinoa's going to be playing the piano when you sing?"

"Yes she is," Julia giggled. She sat down at the chair beside Squall and explained, "My original accompaniment had a scheduling conflict, so I asked Rinoa if she wanted to do it instead. She was so happy about it when I asked. She's always wanted to perform with me."

Squall let out a small smile as he played with the fork in his hand, "That seems like her alright..." He could still remember Rinoa rambling about her mother when they were kids. If she wasn't talking about fairy tales, Rinoa would speak about Julia and her music. It was fairly obvious to Squall and anyone else that Rinoa idolized her mother. To be able to perform with Julia was no doubt one of Rinoa's many dreams.

He felt Julia's hand on his and Squall looked at her slightly confused. She smiled at him gently, "Thank you for taking care of her again this year, Squall."

"...You don't have to thank me..." Squall slowly let out while looking down.

Julia shook her head, "No, I'm very grateful. Because of you, Rinoa's happy every day. I always want to see her smile and you've been a big part in her life. I thank Hyne that she has someone like you with her."

He was speechless. Julia thought too highly of him that he wasn't able to retort. She was far too kind and Squall felt almost guilty. After all, he was in love with the daughter she entrusted to him. Feigning a smile, Squall squeezed her hand back without saying anything.

She took the action at face value and smiled. Rinoa came storming into the room again and tugged on Julia's arm, "Mom! I need you to help me find the shoes! They're not in the closet!"

"...You really bother her with the silliest requests..." Squall sighed sarcastically, pushing his now empty plate forward on the table.

Rinoa glared at him before pouting childishly, "I don't bother Mom! I want to make sure I look my best and don't embarrass her tonight! I want everything to be perfect!"

Squall rolled his eyes, "Right..."

"Mom!"

"Now, now you two," Julia smiled, patting both Rinoa and Squall on the head. She turned to her daughter as she stood up, "Sweetie, are you sure you checked the closet closely? It's in a box remember?"

"I did check, but I couldn't find the box anywhere!" Rinoa replied as they walked out of the kitchen.

Squall let out another sigh as he watched the mother-daughter pair leave. Leaning against his palm, he smiled at them. Rinoa's childish side was ultimately active whenever she was around Julia. Squall thought it was just like her to act spoiled that way.

Julia's voice was heard from around the corner when she hummed, "Maybe you wore them on your date with Cloud?"

The brunette tensed at the name.

"Mom please, I don't wear heels when I go out with Cloud...sometimes..." Rinoa giggled.

Their voices faded away as they continued down the hall. Squall was left in the kitchen alone with his thoughts. Looking down, he felt a stab of pain when he remembered the blond. It was two days after the music room incident that Rinoa formally introduced Cloud to their parents. Cloud was warmly welcomed by Laguna and Julia. Squall on the other hand avoided him as much as possible. He had given Rinoa his blessings, but he was never truly happy about the turn of events...

"_She's your sister. You can't love Rinoa the way I do."_

"_Unless you make things clear with Rinoa right now, not only will she suffer but you will too."_

"I know that!" Squall growled out loud, running a hand through his hair. Seifer and Cloud's words swirled in his head. They plagued him once in a while, but they were more prominent when someone had mentioned the spiky blond in general. Squall knew himself that the chances of being with Rinoa were close to none. But what could he do? He didn't want anyone else _but _her.

Before he knew it, Squall had unconsciously touched his lips gently. His heart betrayed his mind as Squall remembered the unintentional kiss in the classroom. The feeling and only show of reciprocated affection Rinoa had given him was the one thing that was kept Squall from giving up. There must've been meaning for Rinoa to dream about Squall in such a way. That tiny flame of hope was Squall's reason to believe Rinoa loved him somewhere in her heart.

[][][][][][][][]

"Your son is an excellent young man, Laguna! I can see him following in your footsteps!"

"Ah, you're too kind! Squall just happens to be a goal-setter. It's one of his finer points!"

_...Please stop talking crap about me in _front_ of me! _Squall groaned, listening to Laguna talking with one of his business associates.

Ever since they have arrived at the party, Laguna had been flocked to by many people who wanted nothing more than to talk business. Despite his laidback personality, Laguna was a monopoly in the world of politics. It was amazing that he was just a grunt soldier in the Galbadian army before he found his so-called "calling" in politics when Squall was only five. Over time, Squall had recognized the signs when people only looked to Laguna for his influence, not because of the person himself. The brunette hated people like that which sometimes led him to scold his father out of irritation afterwards; especially when Squall became involved...like now...

The older business man chuckled as he tilted his glass towards Squall, "You know, I can use a man who has such a clear future ahead of him. If you're interested, I can give you a position in my firm."

_Count me out, _Squall bitterly thought. He faked a generous smile as he declined, "I'll think about it sir."

"Don't worry about it Squall," Laguna grinned, patting his son on the back, "Do whatever you thinks makes you happy! I just want a good future for you."

Squall understood the hidden message in Laguna's words. Laguna knew that Squall had zero interest in politics so he supported Squall in whatever decision he decided to choose. It was one of the few qualities Squall respected about his father. He was oblivious about most things surrounding his life, but Laguna always paid special attention to the smallest things in Squall and everyone else's well-being.

The brunette nodded, taking this open chance to excuse himself. He adjusted his shirt collar as he made his way to the refreshment table. Letting out a sigh he didn't know he was holding back, Squall ran his hand against his slicked back hair. Being at these formal events always caused him to be so tired.

"My, aren't why bored?" Squall heard Julia speak behind him. He turned around with the intention to politely reply to her, but instead he saw Rinoa standing there with her tongue sticking out. She grinned, "Haha! Did I trick you? I did, didn't I?"

Squall scoffed away his surprise as he retorted, "That was poor excuse for a Julia imitation."

Rinoa pouted at him. Squall shook his head with a small smile, causing Rinoa to smile along with him. She placed her hands behind her back as she tiptoed beside him, "Feeling better?"

"I guess," Squall sighed, pouring himself a glass of juice, wishing it was something stronger, "But hanging around old men isn't exactly time-killing."

"That's because you aren't doing anything," Rinoa rolled her eyes. Squall huffed in response.

So it was true he wasn't really doing anything, but what was there that he _could_ do? All around them were adults talking about the economy, politics, their personal lives, etc. Nothing about their topics seemed interesting to him so he opted to stay as far away from the adults as possible. There were a few people his and Rinoa's age hanging around, but Squall felt they were as superficial as some of the adults in the room. Most were haughty, others were boastful. Squall did not want to get caught up with anyone tonight.

Squall leaned against a pillar in the room and, looking annoyed, he asked with nothing to lose, "Well, what can I do?"

The tap of Rinoa's heels were heard as she approached him. When she stood in front of him, Squall only realized how dressed up she was. Rinoa wore a lavish, strapless white dress that reached just above her knees. It was snug tightly around her body, but still allowed for movement. Rinoa's hair was let down like always and yet she looked different. Maybe it was the shoes… It really must've been a "girl" thing…

She leaned over towards Squall then, "Hey, let's dance!"

Squall almost choked on his juice, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me! Let's go dance!" Rinoa insisted, tugging childishly on Squall's arm.

There was no way in his eighteen years of life and counting that Squall Loire was going to _dance! _He resisted Rinoa's advances as he firmly planted his feet to the ground, "Rinoa, I'm not dancing!"

"Yes you are!" Rinoa countered, pulling harder. When Squall still refused to budge, she pouted and turned away from him. Rinoa sighed out exasperated with a cross of her arms. She took one glance at Squall and his resolve was still firm: he would not dance. Turning to look at the dancers on the square moving in sync with the music, Rinoa let out disappointedly, "I really wanted to dance to. If Cloud was here, at least he would try it…"

Squall's face shot up at the mention of Cloud's name. He felt mad being compared to _him_ of all people; _especially_ when Rinoa was doing the comparing. When Julia had asked if Cloud would be coming to the party, Rinoa had told her that Cloud would be spending it with his mother and friends. Squall was thankful he did not see the blond during holiday, but people in his household still talked about him. He was hoping to avoid any mentions of the blond tonight and Rinoa just ruined it.

Looking like he wasn't interested, Squall rolled his eyes, "Like he would know how to dance."

Rinoa turned and glared at him, "At least he'd be a better dancer than you."

"And you know that how?" Squall challenged.

"Because Cloud would be willing to try unlike you," Rinoa retorted, smirking in victory when Squall didn't counter immediately.

He furrowed his eyebrows at her. She was praising Cloud when she hasn't even seen _him_ dance _once!_ Squall was starting to get sick of being judged against a superficial fact. Scowling, he quickly walked up to Rinoa, grabbed her wrist, and headed towards the dance floor.

Rinoa had to catch herself from tripping, being caught off-guard by Squall's sudden movement. When she started walking at his pace, Rinoa raised a curious eyebrow, "Squall, what are you doing?"

"Proving a point," Squall deadpanned, stopping in the center of the dance floor where it was surprisingly spacious. He looked at Rinoa seriously and wasted no time, "Dancing position."

The raven haired girl blankly stared at him before letting out a laugh. Squall had been so serious about "proving a point" that Rinoa wasn't suddenly expecting him to ask what the dancing position looked like. She honestly thought he would pull it off himself. Stealing a glance at him, Squall still looked at her with that serious expression on his face. Rinoa grinned at him, taking his right hand and placing it on her waist. She then took his left hand, holding it together with her right one as she rested her left palm on his shoulder. She was no expert in ballroom dancing, but Rinoa still remembered the correct form from watching ballroom competitions on the television.

She smiled up at him, "Ready to 'prove your point?'"

"Just dance already," Squall ignored, feeling impatient that they had yet to get started. Rinoa simply giggled again before finally moving her feet.

She took her first step to the right and Squall followed perfectly. However she immediately stepped to the left, then the right, then the left again. Rinoa wasn't moving all that fast, but Squall had a hard time coordinating with his feet while keeping his attention on Rinoa's face. Squall stumbled a few times, misguiding his steps and tripping, but he quickly learned the pattern in which to dance. They were soon able to dance in precision.

Squall was so distracted by the fact that he was dancing, that he no longer remembered why he danced in the first place. Surprisingly, Squall found it fun dancing with Rinoa. He unconsciously smiled a few times after twirling Rinoa around before they return to the neutral position. He didn't want the moment to stop.

As they repeated the one-two-step, Rinoa giggled, lowering her head to the side. Curious and confused, Squall asked her, "What?"

"You're dancing…" Rinoa managed through her giggles.

"So?" Squall couldn't understand why that was funny all of a sudden.

Rinoa smiled with her eyes brightly at him, "I didn't think you'd actually dance."

Squall stopped moving his feet and looked blankly at her. When he thought about it, why did he want to dance? It was…not him to _want _to do something like that. And then it hit him, "Wait so then—"

"Yup!" Rinoa grinned, letting out a laugh, "I can't believe you actually wanted to prove you dance better than Cloud!"

He'd been had! Rinoa was only rallying his emotions against Cloud to coax him into dancing! If she didn't, Squall wouldn't be on the dance floor dancing the waltz…and actually having fun doing so. Squall narrowed his eyes at Rinoa, causing her to remove her hand from his shoulder to hold her side. Squall deadpanned, "That is _not _funny…"

"But I couldn't help it! Squall…you're Mr. Twinkle Toes!" Rinoa praised with a teasing smile. She pulled him back when he tried to leave, apologizing, "Okay, okay! I'm sorry! Really! But you have to admit, it _was_ fun and you _did _waste time."

She was right about that. It took him a full three minutes to stop stepping on Rinoa's feet and another five minutes to properly memorize the dance pattern before he perfected it. Squall couldn't believe he tried so hard to perfect a dance he was _never _going to do. Ever. Again. He scowled once more, Rinoa tugging at his hand.

Turning to look at her, Rinoa gave him a small, apologetic smile, "I'm really sorry, Squall. But if it's any consolation, I like dancing with you a lot."

He couldn't stay mad at her after seeing her smile sincerely. Squall was still ticked that she played with his emotions to get him to do her bidding, but she was only trying to get Squall to do something. And it wasn't like he really hated dancing with her… It was the closest he was to her ever in a public setting without it having to be a "sibling-like" hug. Sighing, he eyed her seriously, "Do that again and I swear I might tell Cloud about your weird snoring habit."

"Hey! I don't snore!" Rinoa countered.

"How would you know? You're asleep when you do," Squall coolly responded. Rinoa couldn't come up with a comeback, simply slapping him against the shoulder and calling him "Meanie." Squall smiled in sweet revenge, but of course he was lying. Whatever Squall knew about Rinoa, he wouldn't share it with anyone. Those moments were his and his alone; no one else's.

"We would like to introduce the world renowned singer, Julia Loire for the special occasion tonight!" an announcer spoke through the intercom, catching Squall and Rinoa's attention.

Rinoa jumped up with wide eyes. She looked at Squall panicking, "Ah! They're starting already! I have to go!"

Squall was caught off-guard as much as her, feeling her move away, "What? Wait."

"We'll talk later Squall!" Rinoa finalized letting go of Squall's hand. She hurried off the dance floor and looked back at him with a smile, "Thanks for the dance!"

He was left speechless and stunned on the dance floor by himself. Letting out a sigh, Squall walked off the dance floor and sat at his family's table. Alone with his thoughts, Squall replayed the dance in his head. He remembered Rinoa's supporting smile when he made a mistake and then her laughter when he accidently bumped into another couple. She was endearing and Squall was glad he took the chance to dance with her. But then his thoughts travelled to the fact that Cloud had "yet" to experience dancing with Rinoa. Squall had no doubts that Rinoa would get Cloud to do a lot of things that Squall wouldn't be able to do together with her…

Squall sighed again, wishing Ellone was here right now so he wouldn't be thinking strange thoughts. Too bad she was busy with her university friends in Dollet for the New Year. Squall dropped his head on the table and mumbled to himself, "Maybe I should've ditched this after all..."

"Squall! Why are you here? Don't you wanna watch Julia sing?" Laguna waltzed in, taking a seat beside his son.

The brunette groaned, "Leave me alone."

Laguna blinked a few times before asking seriously, "Is something bothering you?"

Squall was about to respond with a sarcastic remark, but the sound of a piano stopped him. It began softly with a descent before pausing. Squall and Laguna looked to see Julia and Rinoa up on the stage. Rinoa was poised at the piano, a smile crossing her face. Squall stared at her with wide eyes as Julia, standing tall and at the front, greeted, "Good evening! I hope everyone is having a splendid time tonight. This will be my first performance in such a long time, but I'm so honored to perform once again."

"Ah, Julia is still as modest as ever," Laguna sighed blissfully, turning his chair to face the stage and forgetting about Squall's moodiness.

The brunette ignored his father's babbling as he continued to watch Rinoa. After Julia had introduced her daughter on the piano and informed what song was to be performed, Rinoa had started the key. Her fingers danced across the piano keys, creating a magical sound. Every note she played was in harmony with Julia's singing. No, that wasn't right: Julia's singing only _enhanced_ the beauty of Rinoa's playing. To him, Rinoa took the spotlight. She was at her best tonight. Whether she was on the dance floor or playing the piano, she still grabbed all of Squall's attention.

He flinched after hearing Laguna clap so loudly close to his ear. Before Squall realized it, the performance was finished before it even began. How long had he been in a trance? Looking to the stage, he saw the mother-daughter pair taking a bow together. Julia looked so proud of her daughter and Rinoa could only smile her bright smile.

"Wasn't that a great performance Squall?" Laguna happily chirped, making conversation as he sat properly in his chair now.

"...I need a break," Squall quickly said, ignoring his father's confused look. Ignoring Laguna's calls, Squall stood up from his chair and walked aimlessly; anywhere with less people. He needed to get away to clear his mind. He found great solitude at the balcony. It was cold now and nobody wanted to be outside. He took his chances with the weather if he could be alone for a few minutes.

Squall let out a long sigh while leaning against the rail. As he messed up his slicked back hair to a more comfortable style, Squall looked out in the distance seeing the lights of Esthar brighten the city. Everyone was celebrating to bring in the New Year and Squall wanted nothing more than to ignore. The New Year to him meant another year of suffering and a reminder of his failures that were likely to be repeated...

"Aren't you cold?"

Squall turned his head to see Rinoa walking over to him with her hands rubbing her forearms for warmth. When she finally reached Squall's place, Rinoa looked out to the city with wide eyes, "Oh wow! It's so pretty!"

"Yeah. It stands out," he shifted his gaze from Rinoa back to the city and nodded. They stood silent before a sneeze escaped her. Sighing, Squall looked at Rinoa and repeated her words, "Aren't you cold?"

Shaking her head, Rinoa answered, "I'm just fine!"

_Right... _Squall rolled his eyes. He shrugged off his blazer and wrapped it around Rinoa's bare shoulders. When she looked at him worriedly, Squall waved a hand, "It's okay. I'm obligated to do that since you're the one in a dress with no sleeves and the hem only barely reaches your knees."

"…I'm going to ignore that," Rinoa smartly injected before they both settled on silence again.

Squall didn't mind. He wanted quiet and he was getting it. Turning his eyes slightly, he caught Rinoa smiling as she pulled his blazer closer to her. Squall felt the corners of his lips twitch, but he opted to speak before they formed a smile, "You were great on stage."

Rinoa blinked before realizing Squall was complimenting her performance. Blushing, she nodded, unconsciously moving closer to Squall's side, "Thanks. I was so nervous though."

Squall began to move closer to Rinoa as well, shaking his head, "You didn't look the least bit nervous. You did well."

"Thanks Squall," she smiled. They stared at each other before Rinoa broke the contact and looked up at the sky. Her smile widened as she stretched her arm out in front of her, "Oh! It's snowing!"

Confused, Squall followed her gaze and it was indeed snowing; small dots of white falling from the sky. As silly as it sounded, it was like a New Year's gift.

"It's beautiful to see the snow finally coming out," Rinoa commented before looking back at Squall. He simply nodded without a word. Because of the dry climate in Esthar, snow rarely fell down. Squall personally didn't care if snow was present or not, but Rinoa happened to love it.

She began to hum the song she played earlier while gazing at the sky. Squall gazed at her, watching her. Rinoa was simply happy with the snow, but Squall wanted to give her everything she wanted. Looking at her with the snowflakes falling in her hair, Squall thought she looked like a snow angel. No, she already _was _his angel when she found him crying on Raine's grave.

"Hey," Squall began, catching Rinoa's attention. Leaning forward on the rail, Squall somberly looked forward, "Do you… Do you ever wonder what it would be like if we grew up differently?"

Rinoa blinked at the question in confusion, "You mean like if we grew up in Galbadia instead?"

Squall shook his head, "No. I mean…if our parents didn't get married. Do you wonder?"

"Oh," Rinoa let out. She held a hand to her chin in a thinking gesture as she leaned against the rail like Squall. The brunette was careful to watch her reaction. The question had bugged him for as long as he could remember, but he didn't have the courage to ask Rinoa. Thinking he had nothing to lose, Squall just asked. She pondered it for a little while longer before looking at Squall sadly, "I've never really thought of it, so I can't say."

"I see," Squall asked, hiding his dejection, _So it's never even crossed her mind, huh?_

"But…" Rinoa interrupted Squall's pessimistic state as she looked out into the distance, "I never _needed_ to think about that because I was happy."

"Happy about having a complete family again?" Squall questioned without a care. He might as well humor her since he now brought up the topic.

Rinoa shook her head before smiling at Squall, "No, I'm happy because I met you."

Her confession caught him off-guard. Rinoa was happy to meet him? What did that imply?

As if answering his question, Rinoa continued, "When my parents got divorced, I thought my life pretty much flew out the window. Heavy thoughts for a nine-year-old… Anyways, when Mom told me she was getting married to Laguna, I didn't want it.

"When we arrived in Winhill to meet with your family, I lied to my Mom saying I was going to look at the flowers. I was…planning to run away at the time. Unless my parents decided to make up, I swore I wasn't going to go back home. But then, that's when I found you at your mother's grave."

Squall simply stared at her without saying a word, thinking it would be best to let her continue. He wasn't expecting Rinoa to have the same thoughts he did about the marriage at first.

Rinoa looked back at the sky, opening her palm to catch snowflakes which melted on contact, "When you explained your story to me about Laguna remarrying, it made me rethink about my own life. If I left, Mom would've been sad. I didn't want that, so I decided to accept Mom's marriage with whoever it was."

"And that's when you…just started accepting it?" Squall asked incredulously. He did accept Julia and Laguna together, but his feelings immediately wavered after Rinoa was introduced as he stepsister long ago.

"Yeah. But I had to thank you for that right?" Rinoa tilted her head with a smile, "If I didn't meet you in the field that day, I would've disappeared without even knowing who made my Mom happy. I'm glad that it was Laguna…and I'm glad that I was able to grow up with you, Squall."

"Rinoa…" he wanted to tell her so badly that he felt the same about growing up, but Squall wanted to tell her that his feelings were completely different than what she was thinking.

"When I think about it now, not meeting you is scary… Not just because of the whole marriage thing. I just…can't imagine what my live would be like if I didn't meet you," Rinoa continued, pulling Squall's blazer closer to her, "It's like…life wouldn't be as fun unless I had you."

Squall stared at her. She was being honest, but Squall somehow felt another meaning in her words. Life without him was scary…? That was like—

_Life without you would be hell… _Squall inwardly thought. If she had asked him, Squall would've said the exact same thing. Sure he wasn't planning on running away like she did back then, but Squall felt like disappearing off the face of the planet. Then Rinoa came in and saved him; guided him back to Laguna and Ellone and...to his new life with her by his side.

Rinoa blew a raspberry as she knocked her head with a fist lightly, "Gosh that was a mouthful! Don't think much about it, Squall! Long story short, I'm happy I have you, Ellone, and Laguna too! And we'll be able to spend another year together!"

They both heard people cheering loudly inside the building along with a chime. Looking inside the building, they found people gathering together, holding champagne glasses in the air and laughing. Rinoa figured that it was time for the final seconds of the current year until the New Year was brought in.

Grinning, she tapped Squall's shoulder and walked past him, "C'mon! They're gonna start the countdown, Squall!"

He looked to the ground, thinking about the New Year. Would it be the same as every year or would it finally bring something…different?

…_10…_

Squall grabbed Rinoa's wrist before she disappeared back into the building.

…_9…_

Rinoa looked at him in bewilderment as she was pulled back to the balcony.

…_8…_

"Squall, what's wrong?" Rinoa asked as she stood in front of him.

…_7…_

His gaze was planted on the ground, Squall's grip still on her wrist.

…_6…_

Thinking to himself, Squall once again argued whether the choice he was choosing was worth everything he'd been trying to keep.

…_5…_

"Squall?" Rinoa called out to him again. He looked up at her, meeting her chocolate brown eyes as she quietly waited for him to speak.

…_4…_

No, the choice that he had made… Squall was willing to take a chance.

…_3…_

He quickly and suddenly pulled her forward by her wrist.

…_2…_

"Squall—" Rinoa called out in surprise, stumbling in her step.

…_1…_

This New Year was something Squall would make different.

[][][][][][][][]

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" everyone in the room shouted out in unison. Noisemakers ran out, people laughed out loud as they shared a glass of champagne, and couples hugged and shared kisses at the break of a New Year.

Laguna gave his loving wife a chaste kiss before hugging her close as they slow danced. His hands were on her waist as he smiled affectionately, "Happy New Year, Jules."

Julia giggled while wrapping her arms tenderly around Laguna's neck, "Happy New Year, Laguna."

They shared another short kiss before Julia rested her head on Laguna's chest. Her throat was feeling a little sore, but she assumed it was from singing earlier. She would need to retrain her voice to prevent it from irritating her, but for now, Julia was in complete bliss in the arms of the man she loved. It was then she realized that two very important people were missing.

Lifting her head off of Laguna, she asked, "Where are the kids?"

"Probably hanging out," Laguna shrugged, being his usual laidback self. He then grinned, "Ha, maybe Rinoa's calling that boyfriend of hers and asked Squall to keep her company."

Julia chuckled, hiding the fact that her throat was bothering her, "You're probably right. The kids probably wanted space for themselves."

"Yeah. After all, those two are practically joined at the hip!" Laguna laughed.

[][][][][][][][]

Rinoa wasn't expecting something like this to happen. Squall had held her back from entering the building when the countdown started. Thinking it was something urgent, she allowed herself to be pulled along by Squall. However, after returning to the spot where they stood, he never talked. Wanting to be where the party was, Rinoa nudged him to talk; calling his name and asking what was wrong.

When he finally looked at her, Squall pulled her forward suddenly without her knowing. Rinoa thought she was going to fall as she lost her balance, but then Squall had caught her. She landed on his chest and his hand went around her waist to support her. Rinoa wanted to show her annoyance at what he just did, but when she lifted her face to look at him, she wasn't expecting Squall's reaction.

Squall lowered his face and kissed her.

Rinoa had one of her hands against his chest, the thought of shoving him away immediately running through her mind. Her eyes were wide as she finally found her strength after her initial surprise. Pushing away, Rinoa broke the so-called "kiss" and move out of Squall's hold. Her anger came right afterwards as she blindly slapped Squall across the face. She hadn't meant to slap him, but how else was she supposed to react? He kissed her!

Taking steps away from Squall, Rinoa tried to cover her bare shoulders with the blazer that had almost fallen off her when Squall pulled her. Touching her lips, Rinoa still felt Squall's lingering touch. Her mind was running with all sorts of questions now. Rinoa began to panic as she wasn't sure how to interpret Squall's actions.

Looking at him with concern and confusion, Rinoa harshly whispered, "What are you _doing?_"

Squall simply glanced back, his cheek red from where she slapped him. She wanted to check his cheek, but was too afraid he would kiss her or grab her or anything to move. The look in Squall's eyes was unreadable. Rinoa thought she saw some sort of determination, but why it was there, she didn't know. For him to kiss her out of the blue like that, Rinoa came to one conclusion, but she couldn't say it.

As if reading her thoughts, Squall took one step forward and spoke the words she was afraid to hear, "I love you, Rinoa."


	9. Answer

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **I am soooo sorry that this chapter is coming out only now! I had it done a LONG time ago, but I got really busy to upload it! X_x; I won't blame you if you hate me for my slow updates. Haha… Let's just say, real life this late in the year has become my busiest yet. However, I'll probably have time to be online more on the weekend, so people whose stories I'm watching, watch out for a bucket load of reviews! :D

Anyways! I am hoping you'll enjoy the development in this chapter. It isn't my favorite (particularly with how I wrote it and other various reasons), but it had to be done! And I know I said Squinoa moments…but I think they've been pushed back again… -shot- I PROMISE I WILL MAKE THEM WORTH WHILE WHEN THEY COME!

On a lighter note, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm really thrilled with a lot of the feedback I got! :) You guys are friggin' awesome! Thanks to all my readers and reviewers: _Scribbleness, aichioluv, James Connor, yourstoryisawesome, Alessia Heartilly, rini, Funk3y Fr3sh, _and_ Rinoa-sa!_

Remember to R&R!

PS: Is anyone else excited for the release of Dissidia 012 (Duodecim) besides me? When I first heard of it, I literally flipped out and started screaming in a way only a fangirl can. :D Kain Highwind Lightning, and Tifa Lockheart are in it! I SO CANNOT WAIT TO PLAY THIS GAME! ...And the Fabula Nova Crystallis (FFXIII universe) games! x3 Also, any Kingdom Hearts fans out there? Has anyone played Birth by Sleep for the PSP? Does anyone agree with me that it's addicting as hell? I love KH games as much as FF games. D:

* * *

"_Why can't I have a normal life?  
Why can't I have you? It's too late for me  
Because I lost the control and that's my fate"  
~Big Bang: Hallelujah_

[][][][][][][][]

"Oh geez! Where are you?" Rinoa grunted as she tried to reach for the highest shelf in the cupboard. Her precious bag of mini cookies was missing and when she asked her mother if she'd seen them, Julia told her that they were in the cupboard. Rinoa searched the cupboards to no avail...until she thought they were hidden at the back of the very top shelf. Whoever hid her cookies there were up to no good!

She stood on her toes and pushed herself up on the counter to reach for the far back. Rinoa was unaware of another presence in the kitchen when she let out an annoyed sigh. She stood again flat on her feet glaring holes at the top shelf. Rinoa quietly cursed, "Stupid shelf and your stupid height..."

Surprise was written all over her face when she felt someone's chest pressing against her back lightly when they leaned forward to reach the top shelf. His arm brushed her side after he pulled down the cookies from the top shelf, "Here."

Rinoa couldn't move; she was too afraid to turn around. The memory at the New Year's party was still fresh in her mind that looking at _him _was too hard. She just stood there, facing the cupboard, trying to sort out her thoughts.

Squall interrupted her by touching her shoulder, "Rinoa?"

"Oh!" Rinoa jumped at his touch, abruptly turning around. It was a mistake on her part because she became _very _conscious of the space between them. He was staring at her in confusion, probably two steps away from her. Rinoa looked back at him, her face suddenly feeling hot, "What are you doing?"

As if feeling her anxiety, Squall stepped back, threw the bag of cookies to her, and ran a hand through his hair as walked over to the fridge. Rinoa watched him intently, her hands clutching the bag close to her chest. She saw him open the fridge and pulled out a cola can. Squall replied casually, "I was thirsty, but saw you reaching for the shelf for I don't know what."

"...But you grabbed the cookies I wanted..." Rinoa muttered, looking at the ground. Yes, it was safer looking at her feet than staring into his piercing eyes.

Squall simply shrugged, "I guessed. I placed them there absently when I took a few of them."

"Wha?" Rinoa blurted let out. She stopped to think about what he had just said. Squall had placed the cookies on the top shelf after taking some. _He _took some of _her_ cookies? Her anger slowly rose as she realized _her _stash of mini cookies were taken without permission! Walking over to Squall, she pouted and held out her hand to him, "Give them back."

"Give what back?" he asked in puzzlement.

"My cookies!" Rinoa retorted, tugging at the hem of his shirt, "You took _my _cookies without asking! Again!"

Squall pulled back on his shirt, furrowing his eyebrows, "Quit pulling, Rinoa. You're going to stretch my shirt!"

"I don't care! I want my cookies back!"

"I already ate them!"

"You MEANIE!" she gasped, playfully pounding her fists into his chest. Rinoa could feel her mouth slowly turning into a smile after Squall had put down his cola and grabbed her wrists. She tried to suppress her laughter, but it was hard to hold it in.

She finally let it out as she heard Squall chuckle slightly, "Hyne Rinoa, you're such a kid."

"Sorry for being such a kid," Rinoa joked, finally looking up at Squall with a smile. He smirked back and Rinoa felt extremely content. When was the last time she saw him smile at all?

"_I love you, Rinoa."_

Her mind snapped back to reality after remembering that very important statement Squall told her. Rinoa froze, her hands resting on Squall's chest. How could she act so normal after hearing that? No...how can _Squall _act so normal after saying it? She felt him shift closer, seeing his hand move from the corner of her eye. Panicking, she shoved him violently forward, "NO!"

She saw the hurt in his eyes, causing Rinoa to feel guilty. "I..." Rinoa trailed off, playing with her fingers. She wanted to apologize, but her phone vibrated against her pocket. Pulling it out, she read the screen. It was Cloud calling. She let out a mental sigh of relief and cautiously looked back at Squall. He was looking the other way, downing his cola.

When he noticed her gaze, Squall sighed and swished the can, "Aren't you getting that?"

Rinoa stayed silent for a moment before nodding. Looking away, she pressed the call key and placed the phone against her ear, "H-Hello?"

"_Hey," _Cloud's voice spoke. Rinoa unconsciously relaxed at his smooth voice, smiling against the awkward situation she was in, _"Sorry I haven't been able to call recently."_

"You're calling now," Rinoa replied cheerfully.

She could feel Cloud smile despite the fact that she couldn't see him, _"Listen, do you want to meet up today?"_

Rinoa shot Squall a glance before turning away again, "Uh, sure. Where?"

"_We can meet at the park if you want. I'm still at work, but I'm off soon," _Cloud explained.

"Okay, I can do that," Rinoa smiled.

Cloud was about to say something when he was interrupted by a big booming voice. Rinoa didn't know who it was, but she knew Cloud was getting scolded by the sound of the man's aggressive tone. Cloud shouted something back at him before speaking with her again, _"Sorry, I have to go."_

Rinoa giggled, "Alright. And don't get caught next time!"

Cloud chuckled,_ "I won't."_

They said their goodbyes after that. Rinoa sighed before pocketing her phone. She turned back to face Squall, who was now sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper with a bored expression. Rinoa took a deep breath and forced herself to speak with him. She needed to at least relieve some of the awkwardness.

"I'm going out with Cloud today," she said before mentally wanting to punch herself, _Oh yes, Rinoa. Let's talk about the guy you're dating in front of the brother who confessed his love for you!_

Squall nodded without looking back at her, "I heard you on the phone."

"Right..." she twirled a lock of her hair. Squall looked the same as always: his face was stoic and his body language suggested to her that he wasn't worried about anything. She was bit relieved with his stance; it made it easier for her to talk with him when he acted like nothing mattered. She fidgeted before walking to the entrance, "Well, um, I'm going to get ready..."

"Okay," Squall off-handedly replied, flipping to the next page in the newspaper.

Rinoa hummed as she walked out of the room. Maybe she was looking too much into the issue; maybe Squall had been joking that night. He was fine today and not once had he bought up that night again. It was like...that time never existed. She let out a sigh, but somehow, it kind of unnerved her that Squall had just pulled out that kiss on a whim.

Back in the kitchen, Squall was looking out the window with his hands locked together as he rested his chin on top of them. Squall closed his eyes, _Rinoa..._

[][][][][][][][]

"So let me get this straight: Rinoa told you how much life would suck without you...and you kiss her?" Seifer asked, leaning back in his seat with folded arms. His eyes were trained on Squall's face.

Squall lowered his head and took a moment to think. Tightening his hands together, he slowly nodded. He wondered if it was the right thing to tell Seifer. The blond _did _know about Squall's feelings...but that didn't mean he was going to be any kind of support outlet. Squall's short thinking was interrupted when he felt something hit the back of his head. Knowing it was Seifer's doing, Squall glared at him.

"What did I tell you?" Seifer lectured, holding a rolled up paper menu in his hand. He tapped the table with his "weapon" as he continued his rant, "I told you to _clear _up your feelings with Rinoa, not go in for the kill and hopes she accepts it!"

So what if Seifer didn't approve? Squall did the action of his own accord. Now it was just a matter of giving Rinoa time to think and wait for her reply... However, even _that _was killing him. Feeling irritated, Squall looked defiantly at Seifer, "Whatever."

Seifer let out an aggravated sigh while he massaged his temples. They both sat in awkward silence before hearing a whistling sound. Squall looked up to see Irvine and Zell walk to their table, the former shooting a flirty grin at the passing waitress. Squall rolled his eyes at the action. What did Selphie _see _in him?

"Hello gentlemen," Irvine joked taking a seat adjacent to Seifer. Zell decided to take the one beside Squall, drinking down on his milkshake.

"Hearing you talk is already giving me a headache," Seifer groaned in annoyance.

Irvine played with the straw of his own drink, "Aw c'mon, Seifer. So I saw Quistis together with Vincent. It's not like they're doing something unrelated to school."

Seifer looked at him darkly, "I won't hesitate to _murder _you here and now, Kinneas."

The cowboy weakly put his hands up in defense, Squall ignoring the squabbling before him. His mind was too preoccupied with Rinoa to care. He really wanted to talk to her, but earlier today, she jumped away from him only to be saved by that phone call from Cloud. Squall let out a sigh. Rinoa seemed so scared of him... He hoped that it was more of a shy nature than what she really felt. He _really _needed to speak with her.

"Is that Rinoa?" Zell glanced out the window, pointing with his index finger at a person across the street, "Hey it is!"

Squall followed his line of sight and standing across the street was indeed Rinoa. She was happily glancing at a window, hands behind her back and smiling. Squall noticed that she was looking through a pet shop window, causing him to unconsciously roll his eyes, _Puppies again, Rinoa?_

"Is she by herself?" Zell asked curiously.

Irvine shook his head, leaning back in his seat, "Nah. She's probably with Cloud. Selphie didn't mention anything about hanging out today."

Squall felt a stabbing pain, hoping his friends would pipe down. He knew full well Rinoa was still seeing Cloud, but that didn't mean it wasn't going to hurt. As if to prove Irvine's point, Cloud soon showed up; strolling casually beside Rinoa with hands in his pockets. Squall felt like burning holes through the spiky blond's back when he said something that made Rinoa smile. Squall pondered on what it was Cloud said when he froze in place. With Cloud's back facing them, Squall saw that he lowered his head towards Rinoa's for a kiss. His heart instantly sank, causing him to quickly look away.

Irvine whistled with a grin while tipping his hat, "That Strife's got guts! I was thinking he was more of a hide-and-kiss kind of guy!"

"Yeah, he's a lot bolder than I thought," Zell nodded while drinking his milkshake.

They both felt a smack to the back of their heads, causing them to groan and look at the perpetrator. Seifer glared at them while standing tall with arms crossed. He still held his paper weapon in one hand as he harshly spoke, "Will you get your perverted minds out of the gutter? I don't wanna _hear_ about Strife anymore!"

"Who you calling a pervert!" Zell exploded, slamming his glass on the table.

Irvine furrowed his eyebrows, "Hey, just because he beat you on the History final, doesn't mean you can take it out on us!"

"...Give me that stupid hat!" Seifer lunged forward, causing Irvine to jump back and push Seifer away. Zell joined the fray when his milkshake was knocked over by Irvine's arm swinging; he was _not _finished drinking that!

Squall looked at his friends going at each others' throats; blinking once before looking away. He was grateful Seifer tried to divert the attention, but now his efforts have gone past useful. The brunette stole another look out the window. Rinoa had ended the kiss and backed away, however that did little to stop her from holding Cloud's hand as they continued to walk down the street. Something inside Squall at that moment made him feel sick. How could she be so happy after everything that happened recently? While he was anxiously waiting to know her feelings, Rinoa was off playing with Cloud! It was as if she immediately brushed off his confession! Was that...her answer to his feelings?

"I gotta go," Squall suddenly spoke, standing up from his seat and placing loose change on the table.

"Squall?"

"Wait, so soon?"

He ignored his friends as he hastily walked out the cafe. Squall brushed past one of the waitresses, not bothering to apologize if he nudged her. He needed to get away. Staying here only increased his now growing anger. For the first time since he's known Rinoa, Squall truly hated her.

[][][][][][][][]

Seifer let out a frustrated sigh as he watched Squall walk out. He knew all too well how the brunette felt, which was why he tried to subdue Irvine and Zell's moronic comments. Running a hand through his hair, Seifer growled, "Damn, can this day get any worse!"

"Hey! If you guys can't act like proper patrons, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," a waitress sternly warned, hands on her hips.

Seifer shouted curses in his head, turning to shot a glare and a smartass remark at the waitress. He looked up before his mouth dropped in surprise. Big, round wine eyes, dark brown hair that framed her face perfectly...a cleavage any man would die to touch. The waitress was a beauty, but that wasn't what caught Seifer off-guard. And he wondered silently to himself if Squall would have the same reaction.

[][][][][][][][]

"I'll see you later, Cloud," Rinoa smiled, kissing him on the cheek. She handed him his spare helmet, "Thanks for the ride."

Cloud shared a small smile, nodding, "Not a problem." He put away the helmet, ready to leave on his motorcycle when a nagging thought entered his mind. Looking back at Rinoa, he asked, "Is something bothering you?"

Rinoa looked surprised as she shook her head, "I'm fine, Cloud. Why?"

He wanted to say something, but Cloud also didn't want to push it. There were times when Rinoa was quiet and kept things to herself. It bugged him that she wouldn't share her worries, but he couldn't blame her; Cloud still had things that were hard to share as well. Shaking his head, Cloud replied, "Just wondering."

"Hmm," Rinoa hummed, placing a finger on her chin. She looked up in thought for a moment before leaning forward towards Cloud, "Well, okay. I guess I'm just a little…depressed that we start school again tomorrow."

Cloud blinked before letting out a small chuckle. He shut down the engine of his bike, dropping the kickstand so he could fully face Rinoa. Cloud looked down as he grabbed both her hands in his, rubbing his thumbs gently against them, "It's only another five months. Once that's over, we'll have to deal with university and other things past high school."

He felt her tense a little before she relaxed again. Lifting his head, Cloud watched as Rinoa tilted her head, "I never thought that far ahead in the future. Wow…"

"Yeah, but it's still a ways off," Cloud assured, pushing strands of her hair behind her ear. She smiled at him, allowing the motion and Cloud felt at peace just being with her. His hand lingered on Rinoa's cheek as they gazed at each other. Rinoa's eyes were bright and filled with life. They reminded Cloud of the things he wanted: happiness and a clear future. Slowly, he leaned forward towards Rinoa, hoping to kiss her.

Unfortunately, he was denied as Rinoa quickly, almost _too _quickly, moved back at arm's length, "I should get going. Mom is probably wondering where I am."

"Alright then," Cloud nodded, masking the disappointment of not having kissed Rinoa today at all. He started the engine of his bike and readied himself to leave. Cloud concluded, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye!" Rinoa smiled, waving off Cloud as he disappeared in the distance. Once he was on the open road, Cloud felt that nagging feeling again. Rinoa was hiding something from him, and somehow, Cloud knew it had something to do with her stepbrother.

[][][][][][][][]

A pang of guilt ran through her.

Opening the door, Rinoa greeted her Mom and Laguna before rushing up the stairs. Squall's shoes were at the entrance so he had to be home. Rinoa needed to confront Squall now; she needed to make it clear to him that she couldn't love him.

Because of him, Rinoa couldn't look Cloud in the face! His eyes looked too much like Squall's. When she and Cloud visited her one of her favorite places today, Rinoa remembered Squall had been there numerous times before. But more importantly, Rinoa couldn't stand Cloud saying he loved her! Squall's voice from the New Year's party echoed in Cloud's words. Heck, Rinoa couldn't even kiss Cloud anymore because it instantly brought up the one kiss she shared with Squall!

When they stood in front of the pet shop today, Rinoa had to stop Cloud from trying to kiss her by placing a finger to Cloud's lips; lying that she was embarrassed to kiss in front of...the puppies. Rinoa honestly thought he would find her strange, but he only chuckled and played along with her. Cloud was a good person and it pained Rinoa to see him smile for her. She felt like such a traitor because of what Squall had done.

She stood determined when she reached Squall's bedroom door. Taking a deep breath, Rinoa knocked once before opening the door slowly, "Squall...?"

She found him lying down on his bed with hands behind his head. Squall's eyes were closed and he was wearing headphones, listening to music. Squall probably didn't hear her, so she entered the room and closed the door behind her. They needed privacy. Hyne forbid one of their parents walking in and finding out that they were talking about "feelings" for each other.

"Squall?" Rinoa tried again a little louder, standing at the side of the bed looking down at him. When she got no response, she snatched the headphones away from Squall and waited. He opened his eyes and simply glared at her as she placed a hand on her hip, "We need to talk."

The brunette sat up as he took back his headphones, coldly replying, "About what?"

She was slightly surprised with his tone. He was a lot calmer earlier today that she thought it would've been easy to talk to him. But now...he was completely closed up. Rinoa felt nervous just attempting to talk with him. But she needed to do this! She wanted an understanding between them, despite the fact that Squall seemed more occupied with music than her, "Squall, listen! We need to talk about...about what happened at the New Year's party..."

"That's it?" Squall threw his headphones on the desk as he sat up on his bed. Squall sat uninterested as he continued, "Why do we have to talk about that? It's in the past."

"It's in the past, but it's affecting _my _present!" Rinoa gasped. She stood in front of Squall now; angry at his demeanor. How can he be so nonchalant about that kiss when she was panicking about it all day? She felt Squall meant it when he said he loved her. Was Squall only playing with her then? Was it all a big joke that he made with the guys?

Her heart felt like it was being kicked around and she did not like that one bit; especially when it was Squall who made her feel so anxious. He was someone she would trust her life with. For Squall to joke around about such things, Rinoa couldn't forgive him. Throwing her hands up in the air, Rinoa retorted, "You know what? Fine; I don't care either! But if you even _joke _about things like that again, I swear to Hyne that I won't forgive you, Squall!"

"...You think I was joking?"

Squall's hand shot up to grab her wrist when she tried to leave. When she turned to look at him, he yanked her surprisingly hard and she landed on the bed with a yelp. She opened her eyes only to freeze when she realized Squall was now hovering over her, his hands barely touching her shoulders. Rinoa instinctively held her hands close to her chest, trying to keep her eyes away from Squall, "S-Stop playing around, Squall—"

"I'm not playing around!" Squall hissed, slamming a hand furiously against the bed.

Rinoa flinched again, never seeing Squall so angry. He looked like a completely different person. Rinoa's heart began to beat faster with every passing second. What was Squall going to do to her? She had no chance of escape and the door was closed. Rinoa could scream but...this was Squall. He wouldn't hurt her...right?

"What part of me do you think is joking, Rinoa?" Squall asked, narrowing his eyes. He lowered his face closer to hers, Rinoa consciously turning her face away as much as she could, "Do I really exude something funny? Rinoa?"

"S-Squall, please..." Rinoa tried to reason with him. Her eyes were beginning to water in fear.

Unfortunately, Squall wouldn't hear her, "I gave you space and I gave you time. It's been two days since the New Year's party, but you think it's nothing. Cloud _must _be more important than I am."

"Stop it...!" Rinoa begged biting back tears, _This isn't Squall... This isn't Squall..._

He ignored her pleas, glaring her down. Squall in blind anger grabbed her arms away from her face, forcing her to look at him, "What the hell do you see in him?"

Rinoa winced slightly. She wanted to push him away, but she was afraid. For the first time since she's known him, Rinoa was actually afraid of Squall. The person who would never raise a hand without reason was holding her against her will. The brother who would speak with a calm, quiet voice was seething with harsh, biting words. The friend who would always comfort her was belittling her. The Squall she loved…was breaking her heart.

"Squall enough. Please..." Rinoa cried.

She wasn't getting through to him, "Why can't it be me, Rinoa? Tell me!"

"Let go of me, Squall!" she cried louder.

A knock on the door, surprised them both, "Squall! Rinoa! Guess who's here?"

Squall snapped out of his trance, as he glanced at the door. It was Ellone's voice! He suddenly felt a sting to his cheek and before he could register what had happened, Rinoa pushed him away. She ran and opened the door to reveal their older sibling.

Ellone was initially smiling before glancing between Squall and Rinoa. She raised an eyebrow in puzzlement as she began in an unsure tone, "I found time to come visit...? …What's going on here?"

"Good to see you, Elle!" Rinoa spoke, happily locking the older woman into a tight hug, "Will you be staying the night?"

"Yes?" Ellone slowly answered. She glanced at Squall, noticing his cheek was red and his eyes downcast. She was curious as to why he looked so defeated and turned to face Rinoa for answers. However she was met with more confusion when Rinoa upheld a smiling façade. She furrowed her eyebrows, "What's going on you two?"

"Dad and Mom added something new to your room! Come I'll show you!" Rinoa ignored her as she grabbed Ellone's hand and led her away in a hurry.

"Rinoa—" Ellone cried out. When she realized that the raven haired girl wouldn't stop walking, she turned to Squall quickly, "Um, we'll talk later Squall!" Before she could hear his lack of response, they disappeared out of the room.

Rinoa continued to pull Ellone along, finally entering the older woman's bedroom. With a smile, Rinoa explained, "See look! Mom thought getting you a bigger desk would help when you come home to study once it a while. It's great right?"

She turned to face Ellone after running her fingers along the smooth surface of the desk. Ellone gave her a slight nod, "It's nice; thank you…" She walked closer to Rinoa, placing her hand on the desk as well. Rinoa giggled after Ellone turned to her with a grateful smile.

The raven haired girl twirled in a circle. Being with Ellone was just what she needed! Rinoa had always wanted an older sister and Ellone was the perfect example of one. She was kind, caring, and easy to speak with. Taking light steps with hands behind her back, Rinoa asked while looking away, "Hey Elle? Would it be alright if we had a sleepover tonight?"

Ellone eyed her suspiciously, "I don't mind."

"Yay! It'll be lots of fun!" Rinoa cheered, rushing towards Ellone's bed, sitting on it with a smile. She kicked her feet while humming a tune. A sleepover with Ellone would be fun! Rinoa was rather curious as to what university life was like too! Maybe she could ask a lot of questions on what it was like being a university student?

"…Rinoa?" Ellone cautiously called out. She walked slowly towards the bed and sat beside her younger sister. Holding one of Rinoa's palms, Ellone tilted her head with a worried expression, "Is something bothering you?"

"What? Of course not, Elle!" Rinoa dismissed with a wave of her hand. Nothing was bothering her; everything was the same like always. She talked with Selphie on the phone, went out on a date with Cloud, laughed, smiled; the usual! Rinoa continued to speak happily, "Nothing's different. Everything's…Everything's…"

She stopped when she felt moisture on her face. Her vision was beginning to blur and her smile was slowly disappearing. Ellone's surprised face told Rinoa exactly what was happening: she was crying.

"Rinoa…" Ellone uttered, instinctively placing her hands on Rinoa's shoulders. The raven haired girl ended up leaning into Ellone's comforting figure. Biting her lip, she slowly asked, "What's wrong, Rinoa?"

Rinoa didn't respond right away. Instead, she digested Ellone's question. What was wrong? The answer was simple, but at the same time, complex. How was Rinoa supposed to answer an innocent question like that? More tears spilled from her eyes causing Rinoa to openly sob with her hands covering her face. Ellone simply hugged her, patiently comforting Rinoa despite not knowing what was upsetting her.

It was falling apart; nothing was fine anymore and everything was different. How could things go back to normal? Squall had revealed his deepest feelings to her and she was supposed to give him an answer. He was serious about her, but she was too afraid to answer him. No matter what she would say to him, Rinoa knew that her relationship with Squall would never be the same.

[][][][][][][][]

He was quiet, sitting on the bed with hands resting on his lap and head lowered.

What had he done?

Squall slowly looked over at his bed, realizing how messy the sheets were and the image of Rinoa's frightened face flashed before him. He flinched away, clutching his head.

How could he do that to Rinoa? Out of blind rage and jealousy, he attacked her. Attacked _her! _What if Ellone hadn't come by when she did? What would he have done to Rinoa then?

Squall slumped in his seat, closing his eyes tightly. Not only did Squall scare her, he destroyed his right to be by her side, as a brother or not.


	10. Let Loose

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **Annnnnnd out comes a new chapter! I'm so glad I got this one off my chest. Haha! Although…I think people _just _might hate me for this one. -looks away guiltily-  
This chapter is a whooping fourteen pages long! O.o Please don't be put off by the length. I tried editing as much as I could, even with my editor, but it just. Wouldn't. Stay. Small. D: Ahem. But then again, I did warn you guys about longer chapters right? Hurr hurr hurr. All and all, I hope this moves the story along because I am just getting started. -evil grin- Anyways I hope you enjoy! This one is by far my favorite (and no, not for reasons of what happens in this chapter…)!

I'd like to give a big thanks to all my readers and reviewers once again! You guys are truly awesome and I'm glad I still get reviews even after a long hiatus! :D To my reviewers: _Nagia Heartilly, Fun3y Fr3sh, crepusculo4ever, saya, Niqsta, rinny, Galneryus, _and _Scribbleness! _I love you all so much! Thanks again!

PS: Just wanted to let the FF8 community know that… LAGUNA LOIRE, THE MAN WITH THE FRIGGING MACHINE GUN, IS GOING TO BE IN DUODECIM! -fangirl scream ensues- This is a truly epic moment! XD Yes, I was on the bandwagon for hopes of Rinoa being in -coughsquinoacough- but this is just as good! We might have father-son moments between…well the father and son. LOL  
I WANT MY HANDS ON THIS GAME NAO!

…Ahem… Remember to R&R! :D

* * *

"_Who knew a wrong mistake would turn out like this  
Who knew you, who I lean on, would hurt this much"  
~Big Bang: Until Whenever_

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Rinoa let out another sigh as she looked up at the sky, leaning against the fence lining the rooftop. She was dazed before a tap on the shoulder made her aware that she was still in the company of her blond boyfriend. She turned her head to smile at him, "Sorry. What was that Cloud?"

Cloud stared at her for a moment then shook his head as he leaned against the fence beside Rinoa, "No it's nothing... You've been quiet since this morning though. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Rinoa shook her head.

However, Cloud wasn't buying it. He was willing to let it slide on their date yesterday, thinking Rinoa was having an off-day, but Cloud wasn't going to overlook the issue anymore. Rinoa just forced a smile and he hated the fact she hid her true feelings underneath a happy façade. The blond walked in front of her, momentarily brushing his hands past her shoulders to grab the fence, trapping Rinoa between him and the fence. Rinoa had her eyes trained on Cloud, slightly confused but also somewhat fearful. Why she looked scared, Cloud could only assume two things: Rinoa was afraid of him...or afraid of someone else.

_Just ask what's on her mind, _Cloud recited to himself. He fought to let the words out, but Rinoa's frightful look made him nervous. Cloud felt like such a coward at that moment. He was worried about Rinoa and yet he couldn't bring himself to ask what the problem was for fear _he'd _done something wrong. Rinoa was suffering…and he was being selfish to protect his own feelings. Cloud hated being helpless since it reminded him too much of past wounds.

Letting out a sigh, the blond gave up as he gently rested his forehead on Rinoa's shoulder. He felt her tense, adding to his supposed guilt. He let out without removing himself, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Rinoa asked in surprise.

"For anything I did wrong," Cloud hesitated to say. He closed his eyes, "You're not being yourself and if it's because of me—"

Rinoa quickly answered back, "It's not your fault!" Cloud lifted his head immediately, seeing Rinoa glare at him. His mouth pursed into a thin line, surprised he was being scolded. Rinoa reprimanded his thinking, "It isn't your fault, Cloud; you're not in the wrong at all! I just—I just... It's complicated, but I'm not blaming you for anything."

She dropped her head slightly before grabbing her courage to look at Cloud. They stared at each other for a moment, but the blond saw something intensifying beneath Rinoa's brown orbs…and he envied her. Whatever was bothering her was gone in this moment and Cloud only saw strength in her eyes. If he had the resolve to stand his own ground like her…maybe he would've been stronger back then. Rinoa's frown slowly turned into a smile, causing Cloud's heart to relax.

"I'm sorry Cloud," Rinoa sighed apologetically, "I didn't mean to worry you…"

Cloud didn't respond. Instead, he smiled back sincerely and slowly leaned towards her. He wasn't going to repeat the past. With Rinoa, Cloud was going to move forward and become stronger himself.

[][][][][][][][]

"She left early?" Squall asked, slightly taken aback.

Selphie nodded as she pulled a chocolate stick out of a plastic container, "Yup. Rinoa said something about seeing the teacher during her break."

"No, no, no. I'm pretty sure she went to see Spiky," Yuffie corrected, biting down on Selphie's chocolate before the spunky brunette could. Yuffie ignored Selphie as she looked at Squall, "I swear! Those two are always together that it's makes me sick!"

Selphie rolled her eyes with a grin, "Aw, you only feel that way because a certain someone isn't paying attention to you!"

Yuffie's eyes went wide with surprise as she started flailing her arms in denial. The other girl laughed out loud as she tried in vain to protect herself, leaving Squall to his thoughts as he remained standing by the classroom door.

_Okay; she's not here. I expected that, _Squall rationalized, thinking more on the positive side than his willful negative nature. Nodding his head, Squall quickly said thanks and walked away, uncaring if the hyperactive duo heard him or not. He thought of all the places Rinoa, and to a small degree Cloud, could possibly be in the school.

He wanted so badly to apologize to Rinoa for what happened yesterday. Luckily Ellone hadn't pestered him before she left, but as karma goes, Rinoa was being evasive. She left home earlier than him, sat away from him during class, and even walked down the busier hallways of the school just to get lost in the crowd and avoid him. Squall tried all morning to see her, but it just wasn't happening. He knew he couldn't blame her though, but Rinoa's disregard for him was tormenting. If Squall were to lose her now, he wouldn't know what else to do.

"Hey! Do any of you know where Cloud is? He owes me a lunch!" Zack's playfully voice asked with a grin. Squall stopped in his steps to eavesdrop on the conversation happening around the corner. If anyone knew where Cloud was, it was Zack the Puppy.

"I think I saw him go to the roof with a girl earlier…"

Bingo.

Zack replied with a laugh, "Oh. Well then, I guess I'll catch him later. After all, this makes for great teasing material!"

Squall nodded his head to himself silently and turned around to walk the other way towards the rooftop access. The brunette wouldn't care if Cloud was there. As long as Squall could pinpoint Rinoa, that was all he needed.

He took the shortest path to get to his destination, which was down a lonely hallway near the gymnasium and Squall liked the idea that it was partial isolated. It would be easier talking to Rinoa about…things in the open. Squall sighed once he rounded a corner to the empty corridor…only to hear a clanking sound. Squall craned his head and immediately saw who he needed to see.

"Hmm… Would he want apple or orange juice?" Rinoa pondered to herself as she kneeled down in front of the vending machine. She examined a juice box in each hand before shrugging, "Oh well, whatever."

She made to stand and immediately looked forward to see Squall. Rinoa jumped back with a gasp and dropped the juice boxes to the floor. Squall cringed at her reaction, but most of all, the watchful eye she was giving him as she placed her hands over her chest. Squall pretended to act indifferent as he walked up to her slowly, "Rinoa."

"W-What is it Squall?" Rinoa questioned, giving him a small glare, yet she couldn't hide the fear behind her eyes.

Squall was walking on eggshells now. Rinoa obviously didn't want to see him, but what else could he do? Squall made her paranoid and reluctant to be alone with him, but most of all, he broke her trust. The pain in his chest couldn't take that kind of rejection from her. All Squall wanted to do was rush over and hold her in his arms, repeating several times how sorry he was… But this was reality; it didn't work that way.

The brunette took a deep breath, finding his courage to approach Rinoa without backing down. He took more confident strides as he locked eyes with the raven haired girl, "We need to talk—"

"Later," Rinoa cut in, taking a few steps back with his approach. Her eyes were on the ground, "We'll talk, but…not now."

_Liar, _Squall's mind scoffed. There was no "later" and Squall knew that. If the conversation ended now, Rinoa would only continue to run away and he couldn't have that. Squall shook his head as he pressed forward, "No. Not later, Rinoa. We need to talk _now."_

Rinoa's eyes darted down the hall and Squall guessed her next move. Rinoa gave him a quick look, narrowing her eyes before she turned the other way, "Well I say _later, _Squall."

She turned on her heel in hopes of escaping, but Squall quickly lunged at her, grabbing her wrist and stopping her, "Wait!"

"Let go!" Rinoa snapped, trying to free herself. She began to shake as her resolve crumbled, "Please…let go…!"

"Rinoa…" Squall let out, hurt evident in his voice. What was he going to do? She was truly terrified of him. Was he too late to make amends? He cursed his stupidity. Maybe it was, but that small part of him wanted her to understand. He only loved her, but she didn't want anything to do with it. A part of him wanted to stop hurting her any further, but the entirety of his ego wanted to force his feelings on her that she would have no choice but to accept it.

"HEY!" Squall snapped out of his inner battle as he turned his head slightly, seeing sky-blue eyes glaring at him. Cloud's figure approached closer in haste as he practically growled at Squall, "Let Rinoa go!"

Squall simply narrowed his eyes, ignoring the fact that Rinoa was still struggling to free her wrist from his hold. The brunette shot back, "I need to talk to Rinoa."

"Well she obviously doesn't want to talk to _you. _Now let her go," Cloud retorted, immediately prying Squall off of Rinoa once he closed the distance. The blond shoved Squall fiercely away as he hid Rinoa protectively behind him. Cloud gave Rinoa a concerned glance and the only thing she did was look down and cling to the back of his shirt tightly.

At this point, Squall's mind was void of any thought except one: he was playing the bad guy. His eyes darted from Rinoa to Cloud and then settled on Rinoa again. She was clinging to Cloud for dear life and her "boyfriend" was doing his best to protect her from harm…like a knight.

_Why?_

So many questions flew through his mind. What did Cloud have that he didn't? Why did Cloud get to play the protector? Why did Squall have to be the bad guy? Squall was just as capable to play the knight, so why couldn't he be Rinoa's?

_Why? Why? WHY?_

Tightening a fist, Squall began to see red. Glowering, Squall marched up and threw his fist into the blond's jaw, purposely tuning out Rinoa's gasp of surprise. Squall immediately followed up by grabbing Cloud's collar, thrusting him to stand as another punch was thrown in Cloud's face. Seeing the blond's blood sent an undeniable thrill through his body; it was exhilarating. He prepared to throw another punch, but something grabbed his arm. Narrowing his eyes, Squall looked to see the perpetrator and Rinoa was using all her might to stop him.

"Please Squall! Leave Cloud alone!" Rinoa begged, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Leave him alone?" Squall bitterly chuckled, harshly pulling his arm away from her grasp. He gave her a dead smirk, "Why not 'leave Squall alone, Cloud?' It's always Cloud this and Cloud tha—!"

The brunette suddenly felt a fist hit the side of his cheek. Caught off-guard, Squall dropped Cloud in an instinctive act to cradle his pained cheek. He moved back in uncertainty, hearing Rinoa cry out Cloud's name. Frowning, Squall saw the blond rushing towards him and they collided. The impact of Cloud's tackle sent Squall hitting the wall. The brunette groaned in annoyance before trying to pry the blond off with a knee to the stomach. It proved effective, but Cloud simply ignored it to throw a punch to Squall's side. It only made Squall retaliate and the exchange of attacks cycled between them. They grappled on the floor with Rinoa simply yelling at them to stop, but neither of them cared. All they saw was the other and both of them agreed to a silent objective: they wanted the other to fall dead.

Rinoa's cries attracted the attention of other students, and sure enough, a small crowd started to gather and form. Cheers and other cries rang out in the small hallway, fueling the already violent atmosphere. Against the rally, the only thing Squall could hear was Rinoa's helpless pleas. However, even that didn't get him to stop. He managed to knock Cloud on his back, resulting in an opportunity to attack. His ragged breath gave him the tempo to carry on, but before Squall could connect his fist into his intended target, a blur quickly covered the defenseless Cloud.

It was enough to snap Squall out of his rage, blinking immediately as if waking up. He looked down and was surprised to see Rinoa lying protectively above Cloud. Her face was stained with tears that wouldn't stop falling as she stared angrily at him. It made his heart drop and he instantly knew he was the cause.

She wrapped her arms tighter around Cloud's form as she shakily spoke in a hiss without diverting her eyes from his metallic blue ones, "Enough! You proved your point!"

"R-Rinoa—"

"I hate you," there was no trace of doubt in her tone that it seemed impossible for Squall to comprehend.

There was no way Rinoa could truly hate right? She would forgive him like always wouldn't she? He was family… She would forgive him regardless right?

"Rin—"

"That's my answer, Squall!" she didn't give him the luxury to reply; her heated look finalized that. The last of her tears ran down her face as she numbly concluded while burying her face in Cloud's shirt, "I hate you. Leave me alone."

"_I hate you."_

Her answer to his confession.

His world ended there.

His chance for anything completely gone.

She _hated _him.

"What is going on here?" a stern voice demanded. Cutting through the crowd, Cid Kramer, the school's headmaster looked at each of the crowding students before settling his eyes on the three figures on the floor. All the students immediately silenced at the appearance of the headmaster…and to the tall, silver haired man who was following closely behind the headmaster himself. Cid knitted his eyebrows together as he pressed impatiently, "Well?"

"A fight obviously," the biology teacher, Sephiroth, answered coolly. He pushed through the students and immediately pulled Squall off of Cloud, not that Squall really cared anymore. Rinoa glanced at Sephiroth before immediately turning her attention to Cloud. She helped him sit up gently, but her efforts were for naught as Sephiroth yanked the blond to his feet regardless of wounds. Sephiroth exchanged his gaze between the bantered teenagers before looking directly at the headmaster.

Cid cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Yes, quite. Bring them to my office, Mr. Crescent. I need a word with both of them."

Sephiroth nodded and barked orders to the observing students, "Get back to class!" His voice alone was enough for the students to cower and listen. The crowd began to disperse, but the chattering never ceased.

Squall and Cloud were both sporting cuts and scrapes everywhere as Sephiroth forced them to start walking, all the while holding both of them by the collar. Rinoa tried to explain the situation to Sephiroth and begged him to be more considerate as Squall and Cloud were in definite pain. Her requests went unnoticed as the biology teacher didn't care. Voices crowed on and the pain ached like no tomorrow, but Squall was starting to go numb. There was no pain anymore; just a hallow feeling deep inside his chest.

_I can't stay here, _he thought somberly with a monotone.

Immediately, he shook himself free of Sephiroth's hold and began to walk down the corridor. What little pain there was shot up through his body, but Squall bit down his cry; the thought of leaving his main priority.

"Mr. Loire!" Cid grabbed hold of his upper arm, "Where are you going?"

Squall shrugged him off and continued down the corridor with a frown. The students cleared a pathway for him, seeing a deadly aura form around the brunette. Squall wouldn't complain; at least they got the message that he didn't want to deal with anyone right now.

He was probably halfway done the hall when Rinoa's voice called after him, "Squall!"

It was enough to stop him in his tracks. Hesitantly, Squall slowly looked behind him. Rinoa glanced at him with a furrow of her eyebrows. Her mouth was twitching to move, but her voice wouldn't come out. That look of hate was no longer on her face and was replaced with one of regret.

Squall sighed. She was regretting what she told him; that much he knew. He was near sensible again and Squall didn't want her to have any regrets. What he did today ultimately decided his fate by her hands…and he would accept it. Mustering what he could, he gave her a slight smile that caught her off-guard. It wasn't a cold smile nor was it happy. It was one of sadness in sorrow for the pain he caused her.

And with that, he walked off.

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He walked for hours now, losing track of time once he left the school grounds after his fight with Cloud. All Squall knew was that it was evening and it was snowing. Squall was numb against the cold and he ignored the strange looks people were giving him as he walked aimlessly down the streets simply spacing out from time to time. Squall nudged a few people here and there, but none of them bothered with him. If they did, all Squall had to do was glare and scare them away.

What was he going to do? How would he go home? Surely Headmaster Cid called Laguna and Julia by now. Squall lacked the confidence to face them and answer for his behavior. He had finally cracked. All the anger and jealousy he had kept in check for years imploded on Squall and made him go into a frenzy against Cloud. When he thought about it, it was scary how he lost himself in the rage. Was he always a violent person deep down? And then there was Rinoa, staring helplessly and afraid of him.

Looking down at his hands, Squall was surprised to see small patches of dry blood on his knuckles. His hands were dirty in the figurative and literal sense. Blood, Cloud's blood, stained his hands. Squall had made him bleed…and he liked it.

Suddenly, Squall felt very sick. Rushing deep inside an empty alleyway, Squall heaved. As he hunched against the building, throwing out whatever was in his stomach, Squall panicked. What was wrong with him? Why had he enjoyed the brutality of beating up Cloud? It was never like him to enjoy such violence. What made him change? He wrecked his mind over that simple question.

After he finished vomiting, Squall stood there; wiping his mouth and leaning against the wall. He looked up at the night sky, watching the whitest snowflakes fall untainted. Squall suddenly wondered if Rinoa was watching them fall from the sky too.

_Rinoa…_

His thoughts were always filled with her. It was almost like…

_An obsession, _Squall chuckled darkly.

He ran a head through his hair as he continued to watch the sky. Yes, that was it. Rinoa was his obsession; his _drug. _Every little thing about her piqued his interest. Her favorite hobbies, her likes and dislikes, even the subtle little quirks Rinoa herself was unaware of. Squall wanted to know everything about her. He always thought it was normal behavior… How wrong he was. Squall was as close to being a stalker as defined in a dictionary. His relationship with Rinoa was fine until Cloud came around. The blond was the trigger to unleash Squall's ugliest personality.

If he couldn't have Rinoa, then no one could. That was how he felt deep down the instant the blond came into the picture. Squall was in love with Rinoa to the point where he was near obsessive. Feelings like that were dangerous and he knew that now. Squall, at that moment, knew himself on a whole other level.

"I can't live like this…" Squall whispered to himself, banging the back of his head lightly against the wall. He had a problem, a sickness, and it had to be cured. If it stayed, he'd only continue to cause trouble for everyone; especially Rinoa. His definitive solution was to let go of her…but how could he ever do that?

"Squall!"

Turning to face the voice, Squall saw Seifer squeezing his way past the crowd and finally up to him. Seifer's brows knitted together and Squall wasn't sure if the blond was truly worried about him or simply scrutinizing his appearance. Squall assumed the latter only because it was easier to imagine the blond that way. Seifer began with a hint of masked concern, "Damn, you look like a mess."

"Whatever," Squall replied, walking down the alleyway.

Seifer didn't give him a chance to walk away scot-free, simply following close behind, "What the hell have you been doing? You run off around lunch time and all you do is wander around Esthar?"

Squall scoffed without giving Seifer his complete attention, "It's my life; I'll do whatever the hell I feel."

"Listen to yourself idiot!" Seifer pulled him firmly to a stop and glared, shouting, "It's already eight in the evening and you haven't told anyone where you are! Everyone's been searching for your high and mighty ass since school ended!"

"So what?" Squall glared back, "I never asked you to look for me!"

Seifer was unfazed by Squall's retort. Instead he simply frowned at him, "Really? Even Rinoa?"

Squall took sharp intake of breath before looking away. She was looking for him? But why? He wanted to ask Seifer, but his pride wouldn't let him; at least what was left of his pride. He wasn't worthy of Rinoa's compassion anymore…

Shaking his head, Squall turned his heel on Seifer again to resume his pointless wandering, sharply whispering, "I don't care."

"And what do we have here, hmm?" a strange voice questioned from within the alley. Squall broke away from his thoughts as he and Seifer saw a group of five men stepping out from behind the shadows. The one who spoke grinned maliciously, flanked on each side. He shared a look with his men as he continued to mock, "A pair of 'high-class' pretty boys!" The other men complied, some chuckling darkly.

Squall didn't say anything, blinking instead at the group with disinterest. They were probably some punk gang looking for trouble and to Squall, they didn't look threatening at all. Some were bigger and meatier than him, but Squall wouldn't be intimidated by appearances. If they wanted trouble…bring it.

"Whatever," Squall sighed, looking away without a care. He crossed his arms showing that he wasn't the least bit scared by numbers.

The leader frowned, "What was that pretty boy?"

The brunette spared the bandana wearing leader a glance, "Oh nothing. But if you're trying to scare us…I'm not very impressed." Squall was irritated right now. Why the hell did he have to put up with this nonsense?

"The hell are you doing, Loire?" Seifer questioned under his breath, shooting Squall a suspicious glare.

Squall ignored Seifer and stayed quiet for a moment, seeing the gang leader shake with impatience. A small part of Squall smirked, knowing he was in control of the current situation. However, Squall knew this confrontation was completely pointless, especially when he had bigger things to deal with. Shrugging, Squall gave Seifer a silent signal before haughtily turning away and began to leave with hands in his pockets.

"…And where do you think you're going?" the leader growled, obviously not taking the pair's sudden departure well. Squall turned slightly to look at him while Seifer kept moving before shrugging again and continuing on his way. However, he stopped once Seifer grunted under his breath, noticing the way out of the alley was blocked by several more men. Squall narrowed his eyes as the gang leader seriously commented, "You've gone and pissed me off. I'll give you one last chance to grovel for mercy and I just might consider finishing you off quickly and painlessly…pretty boy."

Squall smirked coolly, cocking his head to look back at the leader without fear, "Seems you like calling me that. Are you suggesting to yourself as metaphorical ugly?"

"What?" the leader barked in anger, tightening fists at his side.

Again, Squall simply smirked. Taunting was usually Seifer's department, but Squall didn't feel like playing the pacifist. In fact, that same feeling he had earlier today was looking for trouble and he needed to satiate it. Maybe it was the only way he was going to vent his negative emotions. Or perhaps…he only wanted trouble in hopes of committing destructive suicide. After all, what good was he now that Rinoa practically hated him deep down? Nothing.

"A gang, huh…" Seifer whispered with a sigh. He narrowed his eyes at the lanky leader with an arrogant smirk, "I'm sorry; you guys _are _a gang right?"

The leader fumed at Seifer, "What was that _blondie?"_

"You heard me. But you know what? You could be girl scouts and I still wouldn't give a damn," Seifer taunted.

That remark made the leader snap. No longer putting up with Squall and Seifer's attitude, the leader barked orders to his men. They followed his command and slowly circled and trapped the two teens against the wall with little to no escape. However, their attempts to intimidate the pair of teenagers, even as they took out knives, brass knuckles and the like, failed poorly.

Squall skimmed his eyes across each of their faces, mentally counting how many of the men there were. He and Seifer were obviously outnumbered by more than a dozen, but Squall believed they wouldn't have a problem taking most of them down… If _he_ was strategic about his offense should they fight.

"Any last words before I damage those pretty faces of yours?" the gang leader offered with a smirk as if he'd already won.

Squall analyzed his situation for a moment, sighing in annoyance as he leaned coolly against the cold wall. He once again scanned over his situation before noticing something of use sitting on top of the garbage dumpster close to his left. He continued to stare from the corner of his eye, _…It'll have to do._

The blond smirked, quickly realizing Squall's intent. He carefully watched for any conspicuous movement, "Are you _really _gonna beg?"

"Not unless I see you beg first, Almasy," Squall answered coolly, simply remaining firm in his spot.

"WELL?" the gang leader roared taking two steps forward and puffing out his chest.

At last, Squall narrowed his eyes at the leader as he quickly reached over to his left using his right hand and grabbed the steel pipe sitting on top of the dumpster. In one swift movement, Squall swung the pipe in one quick slash; the pipe smashing against the closest gang members in front of Squall in succession. Seifer had read Squall's movements and kneeled down to his knees to avoid the attack. The blond couldn't help but let out a wicked grin as he observed the shocked expressions of the few gang members stepping back in complete surprise.

Squall ignored the cries of pain coming from the fallen men, eyes remaining as steel as his weapon and his tone of voice dangerously low, "Whatever."

"What are you idiots waiting for? I want _them _on the ground!" the leader shouted in anger, snapping his men out of their scared trance.

Both teens immediately dashed off in separate directions with incredible speed, gaining the upper hand. Seifer let out a battle cry as he body-slammed a trio simultaneously before ramming them into a wall. Squall on the other hand narrowly missed an assault from both sides. He sidestepped in time to dodge a hasty punch, retorting by swinging the pipe against one gang member's back and turning rapidly around to grab another's face in his palm. It momentarily stunned the knife-wielding hoodlum before Squall darted forward. Dragging the man by the face, Squall violently pushed him down to the ground. The white snow exploded into the air, falling around Squall as he looked like a lion on the hunt, kneeling fiercely with weapon in hand and his expression telling the gang to come at him if they dared.

The alleyway brawl lasted for another ten minutes, yet the assault was endless.

Squall blocked an incoming attack from a gang member with a bat, but unfortunately the impact of hitting the pipe vibrated and recoiled on Squall. The brunette let out a wince, giving another gang member opportunity to strike him in the gut. Squall felt the force of the attack and he fell to his knees, dropping his weapon.

The gang leader grinned, finally finding leeway in Squall's defenses. He mocked, "What? Done already?" He let out a small laugh before nodding his head to one of his underlings. The subordinate nodded with smirking intent as he bent down to grab Squall's pipe.

Squall's first instinct was to move, but he knew he wouldn't be quick enough to evade. The lesser member shouted out as he viciously began to drop the pipe and Squall waited for the inevitable… But it never came. Instead, the gang member fell to his side unconscious with the pipe clanging to the ground.

"That's a damn good situation yougot yourself into Loire."

Squall quickly looked up, "Seifer!"

Sure enough, the arrogant blond was standing behind the fallen gang member clapping his hands clean of his so-called "dirty work." He bent down to grab the pipe before standing up and tapping his shoulder with it. Smirking, he taunted Squall, "Are we just going to sit on the ground all night or are we going to show these ladies who's boss?"

Squall slowly returned the smirk with one of his own. He stood up, back to back with Seifer, as he scanned the reminder of the gang. The leader, from what Squall saw, wasn't too thrilled that Seifer had outdone his men. How Seifer still had the energy to keep going was a mystery, but Squall would put that thought on hold.

Seifer cut though Squall's thoughts, "You know, you're a _real _pain in the ass to watch."

"…Shut up, Seifer."

The second round started, Seifer striking thugs left and right with the steel pipe and Squall used as much close combat tactics to stay on top. His mind couldn't process the sequence of events as they occurred. Pain ran through his body from time to time, but Squall knew he was doing the most damage as he felt his opponents break bones and limbs. Like his fight with Cloud, this simple gang attack sent a thrill through him. His energy level was high and Squall felt his lips tugging into a crazed smile.

He managed to pin down one of the gang members to the ground, seeing his face was already beaten in. The thug cowered in fear and practically begged Squall for mercy. A cold smile plastered itself on Squall's lips as he panted heavily. Tightening his fist, Squall quickly brought it down. But before he could land a solid hit, an image of Rinoa flashed in his mind.

"_Enough! You proved your point!"_

Squall gasped and snapped out of his rage. The look in her eyes was burned into his memory… He was giving into his hate again. He was the monster from earlier today that Rinoa loathed. No, he didn't want to be hated by her again in the same way…!

Suddenly, Seifer's cry rang out in the dark alleyway. Squall immediately swerved his head in the blond's direction, seeing the once arrogant Seifer kneeling on the ground clutching his face as he sharply breathed. Squall wasn't sure what had happened, but what little light the streetlamps gave, Squall saw a dark liquid lining the once white snow around Seifer. The same liquid began to spill from Seifer's hand.

"Seifer!" Squall called out in panic.

Before he could get to his feet however, a blunt object collided with the back of his head; causing him to collapse on his side. He struggled to get up, a sharp pain throbbing on the back of his head and his ears beginning to ring. Squall let out a pained gasp as he tried to push himself up. The attempt was in vain as someone immediately kicked his stomach. Squall cried out again, falling on his side as he clutched his stomach. He could hear laughter from above him and Squall knew that it was the gang leader and his men. Squall cussed them out, but it only earning him another kick to the ribs.

"You son of a—!" Seifer snarled, but was silenced when a punch collided with his body. The next sound that followed was Seifer groaning in pain.

Squall clutched his stomach harder; the adrenaline he felt earlier disappearing only to leave the sensation of pain behind. He felt like a broken rag doll and Squall knew that it was over. His high was gone and the only thing left on his mind was seeing how much of an idiot he was for dragging himself and Seifer into this mess!

He wasn't given time to ponder as two pairs of arms forced him on his knees, intentionally pulling at his arms with much force that the brunette winced. He saw the leader of the gang approaching him, but Squall was losing focus. His head lolled to the side only to have a bunch of his hair pulled violently and he was compelled to face the gang leader's grin. Squall tried his best to look angry, but he wasn't much of a threat with him breathing heavily and looking like dirt at the moment.

The leader of the gang stared tauntingly at him for a moment before unceremoniously dropping Squall's head and walking a few feet away to laugh with a roar of victory, "What do you guys think? Are they _really _troublesome to mess with us?" A lot of hollers and whoops followed after. It was like they were celebrating the kill of the century.

Squall used the last of his strength to once again glare up at the leader. Yes, his body was wracked with pain, but there was no way Squall was going down that easily. He still had his pride and he would salvage it. They could kick him down, but Squall would keep his head high.

His glare didn't go unnoticed. The gang leader frowned at Squall, hating the look the brunette was giving him. Pulling out a pocket knife, the leader trotted over to Squall and slowly traced the cool blade against Squall's bruised cheek, "I don't like that look you're giving me pretty boy…"

Seifer shouted out in protest as he tried to free himself of the hold he was in. Squall was unafraid as he narrowed his eyes at the leader and spat in his face, "Go to hell."

The leader's frown deepened and before Squall knew it, a sharp pain rolled down his face from the right side of his forehead across the bridge of his nose. Squall's head turned to the right instantly as he cried out in pain. He could taste blood on his lips and he cringed. The sting on his face was hurting immensely and Squall grinded his teeth together. He was dropped to the ground and Squall's hand immediately covered his face, but all he could feel was a warm, sticky substance smearing across his facial features.

Seifer's shouts persisted with empty threats and other profanities, "You bastards! I'll kill you! I swear to Hyne I'll kill you!"

"Shut him up!" commanded the leader, wiping the bloodied blade of his pocket knife. Three thugs immediately ganged up on Seifer and began to beat down on him.

Squall couldn't feel anything anymore; he was starting to feel cold. Voices began to mix together and his vision began to fade in and out. He could see Seifer taking the beating while lying on the ground. Squall tried to get up, but he was too weak. Was he finally going to die here? This was what he wanted right? To disappear…

"Seifer!"

It was a female voice that distinguished itself among all the others in Squall's mind. He fought to keep his eyes open as he saw a blurry, womanly figure ran towards the fight. Squall couldn't make out the finer details of the woman, except her voice. It was filled with worry as it got louder. Squall wanted to tell her to run since the situation was too dangerous, but he couldn't find his voice.

His eyes began to close and the noise began to fade away. But even as he numbly watched an ensuing fight with the mysterious woman, Squall could only think of one thing during his darkest hour before falling unconscious:

"Rinoa…"

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Muffled voices rang in his ears as he began to wake up. Battling to open his eyes, Squall twitched and willed himself awake. Slowly, his eyes opened, refluxing to the sudden amount of light. Squall made a groan when he tried to move, but his body disapproved the motion as pain shot up throughout him. His vision tried to focus as questions began to drift in his mind.

Where was he? What happened to Seifer? What about the gang? What had happened to the mysterious woman? Was he…dead?

"You're awake!" chirped a tender voice.

Squall made another groan. He closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again in hopes to achieve a sufficient amount of focus. Squall immediately felt someone squeeze his hand and he turned his head gradually to look at the stranger. His eyes went wide with whom he saw.

"I'm so glad you're alright! I was worried you wouldn't wake up," she sighed in relief. She gave Squall's hand one last squeeze before releasing it and sitting down on her folded legs. Pushing hair behind her ear, the dark haired girl turned to grab a cloth soaking in a water basin. She continued to make conversation, not realizing Squall had staggered to sit up, "You and Seifer were beat up pretty badly. Try to relax—"

He immediately threw his arms around her in a tight grip lock. Squall couldn't believe it; he couldn't believe the figure sitting before him was worried about his well-being. He buried his face against the exposed skin of her shoulder and let out a tired sigh, _Rinoa..._

"Hey, don't move around too much," her arms encircled Squall to support him. She rubbed his back for comfort, trying to get him to lie down again, but Squall shook his head in objection.

He didn't want to fall asleep again where he couldn't touch her. All Squall wanted was to be right beside Rinoa and he would endure the pains and bruises he had just to stay awake. He lifted his head to bury his face against Rinoa's hair and closed his eyes. Squall breathed calmly as he whispered her name, "Rinoa…"

She flinched at his gentle touch and blushed while whispering to herself, "…Rinoa?"


	11. A Locked Heart

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good, safe holiday! :) Anyways, just a little bit of character interaction in this chapter as well as a few (not really hidden) hints at what's to come. So in other words…a little boring. -shot- But c'mon! Good things will happen soon! ;)

Thanks to all my readers for sticking with the story thus far! And let's not forget my reviewers; you guys always seem to make my day and I love reading your reactions to each chapter I post! Thanks to my reviewers: _aichioluv, Funk3y Fr3sh, Anonymous, Alessia Heartilly, Niqsta, crepusculo4ever, saya (I'm glad you like the lengthy chapters!), rinny (LOL your reaction is my favorite! XD), Nagia Heartilly, Scribbleness, Destiny-N, Turk 4 Life, _and_ Galneryus!_

Thanks again and remember to R&R!

PS: Happy Birthday Laguna! -scatters hearts everywhere-

* * *

"_My heart will never change  
If its with you, I will go anywhere  
I'll love forever with you"  
~Big Bang: Forever with U ft. Park Bom_

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"Rinoa," Squall whispered again, taking hold of her hand and squeezing it. Had he died and gone to heaven or was this an illusion in hell? No matter. She was here with him now; taking care of him...talking with him again.

"Wait, who?" Rinoa's voice was laced with confusion. She pulled away from Squall, "I'm not—"

"She isn't Rinoa you idiot."

Squall looked to his left, spotting Seifer sitting on the ground. He was leaning against the bottom of a chair as he continuously flipped through the television channels using a remote. Seifer didn't spare Squall a glance as he suggested, "How about you try and actually _look _at her?"

Puzzled, Squall went back to glance over Rinoa's features. Same big eyes, long dark hair, a heart-shaped face, teardrop earrings… Wait, earrings? Rinoa didn't wear earrings! Squall blinked in surprise as he looked over once more. Yes, she did have brown eyes, but they were more wine-colored than brown and her hair went further down the small of her back than usual. And her face…was completely different. Yes; this was definitely not Rinoa. This was a completely different _person!_

Squall flustered immediately, realizing he had been caressing a complete stranger. He moved away hastily on his makeshift bed and looked anywhere but "Rinoa" with embarrassment written all over his face. Mortification overtook his attempt at speaking in a calm manner, "I'm sorry. I didn't… I didn't realize…"

The girl blinked before sighing with a smile. She purposely ignored Seifer in the background who was currently laughing his head off, "It's alright. Seifer told me you'd probably react like that…"

"Damn straight!" Seifer grinned, finally looking back at the two, "That was priceless; simply _priceless!" _

The brunette momentarily flinched before sending a glare in Seifer's direction. However, Squall only realized something was off. Examining the blond's facial features a moment longer, Squall's expression switched to one of surprise, "What happened to your face?"

Seifer frowned, pointing to the bandage running from the left side of his forehead and across the bridge of his nose with his thumb, "What? This?"

"Well...yeah," Squall answered unsure. How in the world did Seifer end up with that? The blond did stupid things, but not enough to receive an injury like that.

"You can't remember can you?" Seifer sighed before standing up. He strutted over to the couch Squall had been lying on and reached over, poking the spot between Squall's eyes with his index finger. The action would've annoyed Squall, but instead, he felt a surge of pain run across his face. He automatically shot a hand up as if to ease the pain, but that only made it worse.

The girl's eyes widened as a result and immediately placed her hands on Squall's shoulders, "Seifer!"

The blond simply shrugged, "What? He has to know that I'm not the only one with a bandage to the face, Lockhart."

"Bandage?" Squall winced. He was still baffled, but a sudden thought ran through his mind. The gang leader with a knife in hand… Squall suddenly remembered the bastard swung a knife in his face, _Oh yeah… That's what happened…_

"Still! Be a little more considerate!" the girl warned Seifer with a slight glare. She turned back to Squall and rubbed his shoulders while speaking gently, "Are you okay? I have pain medication, but I'm not too sure of its effectiveness..."

Squall shook his head, feeling the pain subsiding, "It's fine...um..."

"Tifa," she smiled. Tifa gave Squall's shoulders a light squeeze before moving back a bit to outstretch her hand in a friendly gesture.

He glanced at her hand before looking back at her face. She was similar to Rinoa in a way; maybe even more mature looking, but Tifa _wasn't _Rinoa… He took her hand after a moment's hesitation and nodded with a mumble, "…Squall."

Tifa giggled lightheartedly before standing up and dusting off her pants. Running a hand through her long dark hair, Tifa sighed, "I still don't understand why you won't go to a hospital, Seifer!"

Seifer rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. Squall assumed that they had argued about this before; most likely when he was unconscious, "Because it would've caused problems alright? How many times do I have to tell you this before you _listen?_"

"Well how many times do _I _have to tell you a doctor is much better suited to treat wounds like those?"

"Ugh!" Seifer threw his hands in the air and turned away with a grumble, "Women..."

Tifa crossed her arms in vexation and retorted, "Men!"

Squall was pleasantly surprised that Tifa could tolerate Seifer's attitude. So far, Squall only knew Quistis had the patience to deal with the arrogant blond and this development was certainly interesting. He didn't know how long Seifer and Tifa were acquainted, but seeing an unfazed Tifa argue with the hot-headed Seifer was amusing in itself.

Tifa must have caught his reverie for she smiled sweetly at him, "Are you hungry Squall?" He looked away from her to his bandaged palms and shook his head. Squall heard Tifa sigh, "You really are quiet... Listen, I'll make you something anyways okay? With injuries like that, I think you should keep your energy up."

Her footsteps quickly exited the room and Squall couldn't help but lift his eyes to watch her leave. It was strange. Tifa looked a little like Rinoa, but the woman leaving the room was a completely separate person. The way she carried herself... Tifa had a stronger, more independent stride than Rinoa's playful, sometimes carefree walk. Their backs were the same, but Tifa exuded her confidence sparsely whereas Rinoa wasn't afraid to show it.

Squall suddenly heard Seifer chuckle from his side of the room and Squall was hesitant to glance over. A randomly laughing Seifer usually meant trouble...at Squall's expense. Sighing with annoyance, Squall examined his arm and rubbed at an aching joint, "What?"

"You were checking her out weren't you?" Seifer grinned, leaning on his palms. He continued to mock as Squall groaned in aggravation, "The great, silent Squall Loire was checking out a _woman!_ Oh, we are experiencing the beginnings of hell freezing over: Squall just hit puberty!"

"Shut up, Seifer," Squall gritted, shooting the blond a deadly glare. Seifer thought nothing of it and continued to laugh at Squall regardless.

The brunette growled lowly before looking over more of his visible injuries. Fighting a gang of ten or so men really did a number on his body. Cuts and scrapes, bruises and scabs; they were everywhere, but many were fading away. Squall assumed Tifa used a potion to visibly reduce evident bruises and speed up the healing process of the body.

Speaking of Tifa...

"Who is she?" he looked over at Seifer, seeing he went back to channel surfing.

Seifer rested his head lazily on his shoulder as he flipped quickly through the channels, "A girl obviously."

Squall shook his head, allowing his impatience to show, "I asked who she _was._"

"Well pardon me," Seifer sarcastically remarked with a roll of his eyes. When he wasn't satisfied with channel surfing anymore, he turned off the television and faced Squall altogether, "Tifa's an old friend of Zell's. They studied at the same dojo in Balamb before chicken-wuss decided to move to Esthar for schooling. I met her at the café the day before. You would've noticed her too that day…if you weren't already moody. She was the waitress Kinneas was drooling over."

"...And you're so close how?" Squall asked with a look full of skepticism. It wasn't like Seifer to suddenly befriend people in a heartbeat; especially women.

Seifer scoffed, "I'm not like you, who by the way, has to take Hyne knows how long just to define a person with the 'friend' label. Tifa and I really hit it off since she's so gutsy...and wipe that idiotic look off your face."

Squall blinked, "...What look?"

"That look that says I'm cheating on Quistis, dumbass," Seifer narrowed his eyes at Squall with a frown. He seriously stated, "I may do a lot of stupid things, but screwing around isn't one of them."

The brunette looked away from Seifer's heated glare. Squall figured he _was_ out of line with that notion. The blonde couple did fight a lot, but it was obvious how much Seifer treasured Quistis... Seifer's heightened sense of jealousy towards other guys who came within three meters of her was the best indicator… Somehow, the thought that Seifer and himself had similar mindsets was scary…

Nodding, Squall curtly apologized, "Sorry."

Seifer huffed before adjusting his position on the floor. He continued as if the little accusation never happened, "Lockhart's impressive. She can take care of herself, she's responsible, yada, yada... I think she can keep any man on his toes if he knows what's good for him."

"What do you mean?" Squall questioned in confusion.

"While you were knocked out, Tifa singlehandedly beat the crap out of that wannabe gang," Seifer stated with no room for doubt.

_Tifa did? _Squall thought bewildered. There was no way Tifa could've handled that big a group by herself! Squall and Seifer had to form a tag team just to knock down most of those thugs, but even then they ran into a boatload of problems... Tifa beat them without a scratch on her? Then again, Seifer _did_ mention she studied with Zell at the same martial arts dojo...

Seifer nodded as he watched Squall analyze the idea, "I didn't think she could do it either, but she did; I was awake when it all happened. It's hard to believe she and Dincht had the same teacher... Of course, watching Lockhart fight is a lot more appealing to the eyes."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that coming from you," Tifa interrupted, walking into the room with a bowl of chicken soup. She rose an incredulously eyebrow in Seifer's direction and all the blond did was smirk suggestively. Tifa rolled her eyes before carrying the bowl over to a table stand near the couch Squall sat on, "Here. I know chicken soup is usually for colds, but it _is _freezing outside. Plus, this'll soothe some of the aches in your body for now."

Squall glanced at the soupy liquid and nodded. Truth be told, he _was_ pretty hungry, "Thanks..."

"Don't worry about it," Tifa smiled, causing Squall to look down in embarrassment. What was this? _Anyone _with Rinoa's face induced the ability to make him blush? Please!

"Hey Lockhart, I'm using your phone," Seifer suddenly commented.

Tifa nodded in his direction, pointing to the bookshelf in one corner of the living room, "Phone's over there, but why?"

Seifer stood up, slightly wiggling out the smaller aches in his body as he answered, "I need call Quistis before she freaks out about me disappearing off the face of the planet. Damn woman worries too much." He strolled over to the cordless phone, grabbed it, and disappeared out the living room into the kitchen.

It was silent for a moment before Squall muttered, "Oh crap..."

"What is it?" Tifa asked in alert.

"It's almost midnight isn't it?" Squall asked. When Tifa nodded her head, he let loose another sigh while running a hand through his hair, "My parents must be wondering where I am..."

"I don't think you have to worry about that. Seifer made a phone call right after he carried you here and dressed his wounds," Tifa reassured. She shrugged, continuing to explain as if the small memory from her perspective had any relevance, "He was strangely polite on the phone and he brought up your name a couple of times. I just assumed he was talking with one of your parents or something."

Squall nodded, silently grateful Seifer had given him an alibi. But how Squall was going to explain the bruises would be all him; he wasn't even sure he'd be able to go to school tomorrow... Ridding himself of such thoughts, Squall concentrated on the now, "Did he say anything else?"

Tifa furrowed her eyebrows, "He lied and said you were staying at his place for the night...which you guys aren't; you're in my apartment."

"Oh..." was all Squall could muster. He never realized it before, but his current setting did scream femininity in a way... He was staying over at a _girl's _home? Squall immediately apologized, "Sorry we're intruding on you."

"Oh! No worries!" Tifa waved him off sheepishly. She smiled with a look of understanding, "I don't really know what's going on, but you're more than welcome here."

He let out a sigh of relief along with a nod of his head. Yes, he didn't know Tifa well, but she was really accepting despite only knowing him in a few hours...well, more like in the last few minutes, but it was all the same. She was really like a mother of sorts... He glanced at Tifa again and asked, "Seifer says you're not from around here… What brought you to Esthar?"

The dark haired girl answered while gesturing for Squall to finish his soup, "I'm actually studying abroad from Balamb. I only started my term a few weeks ago."

He hummed and asked another question, "From what?"

"Balamb Private Academy for Girls. There was an itinerary with a sister school here so…I thought 'why not study in a different country?'" Tifa explained shyly, playing with her hands.

Finishing the last of his soup, Squall eyed her, "But you aren't living in a dormitory. How come you've got this place all to yourself? …No offense…"

Tifa laughed, shaking her head, "It's alright. Actually, I'm borrowing this place from a relative who won't be in the city until the end of the semester. I didn't really want to stay at the dorms anyway; I thought it would be a waste of money. Besides, I wanted to try my hand at taking care of myself even if that meant I had to be the one to take care of my own livelihood."

"Isn't it hard?"

"But isn't that how life is? You can't really go through life without hardships and I want to face them head on," she smiled sweetly. Tifa leaned back on her palms and sighed, "But honestly? I just wanted to get away from home. My father's really strict since I was raised in a small town and he believes I should just settle for that. He doesn't understand that I want to get out in the world. That's why I'm trying so hard now; just to prove to him I can do fine on my own."

Squall nodded, pushing his empty bowl to the side, "So that's why you have a job even though you're studying here…"

"Yup! I still need to earn my wages! The school may be paying for my studies, but I need to save a little extra for the 'luxuries' of living alone."

"I see," Squall replied in respect. She really could hold her own. Squall had never met such a resilient woman in his life until now. He coolly commented, "Well, I hope you'll continue to exceed in...whatever."

"Thanks Squall," Tifa laughed in gratitude.

"I already told you I have all my credits! One measly absence isn't going to change anything!"Seifer's voice shouted from the kitchen. Squall and Tifa turned to look in the kitchen's direction, confused yet amused at the same time. They head Seifer let out a tired sigh after a short pause, "Hyne, what is it with you women? Always so naggy!"

"Hmph! Well sorry," Tifa scoffed lightheartedly, smirking at Squall.

The brunette couldn't help but let out a snort in agreement, _So she does have a playful side like Rinoa._

Suddenly, he felt a pang of regret from remembering that one name.

Rinoa.

How was she coping after his little disappearing act? Was she as worried as Seifer claimed?

…Probably not; she had Cloud to comfort her after all…

Squall looked back at his hands. Wrapped in bandages were hands that were bloody just hours earlier. Be it Cloud's blood or the blood of those gang members, it didn't change the fact that Squall had snapped. He was a ticking time bomb just full of suppressed emotions.

"Squall?" Tifa's hand gently touched his upper arm and the brunette flinched at the contact. It was noticeable as Tifa furrowed her eyebrows in concern, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Squall mumbled in a poor lie.

Tifa blew her bangs out of her eyes as she huffed in doubt, "Something's bothering you and it's not good to keep it inside. I'm willing to listen if you let me."

_You're just a stranger. I have nothing to say to you, _Squall bitterly thought, freely showing his annoyance. He knit his eyebrows together and vexed away from Tifa's touch, "You? Just because you helped me once, doesn't mean I'm going to freely admit my problems."

"I didn't mean to pry or offend you," Tifa apologized, surprised Squall's attitude quickly changed to a defensive one. She offered, "But when someone's in pain, I can't help but worry…"

"Well, thanks, but no thanks. You don't have to give me charity. I'll deal with it myself."

"You _can't _deal with it yourself! You'll only fall apart."

Squall snapped, controlling the last string of his sanity, "And how would you know that?"

Tifa paused for a brief moment before painfully looking away. She tightened the fists on her lap as she whispered, "…Because I knew someone who broke down and couldn't stand up again. He struggled, but couldn't conquer... And it was all because of me; I didn't listen to him."

Squall blinked. This girl, the one who singlehandedly beat up a gang of more than a dozen men, was feeling the guilt of supposedly destroying one person's life? Maybe there were layers to her personality that she kept hidden from other people. Squall...he could relate to her. He felt remorse for snapping at her when she was only trying to help. Why was he so edgy nowadays?

"I'm sorry," Squall hurriedly apologized to dissipate the awkward silence lingering in the air, "I just... I don't know how to handle the aftermath of something that's happened..."

Tifa gave him a small, sad smile, "With...Rinoa right?" The name was already made known earlier, but Squall still couldn't keep the surprise off his face. Tifa shook her head with a giggle, "You'll get through it, Squall. I'm not sure what happened with this Rinoa, but you don't look like the kind that will just give up."

Squall looked down in defeat, biting his bottom lip, "I'm not as strong as people see me to be…"

He never expected Tifa to lift up his chin gently with her hand. Squall gazed at her in shock, watching as she bore into his eyes intently. Her mouth was in a hard thin line before she beamed sweetly and tapped him under his chin, "You don't give yourself much credit; all I see is someone who still has a chance to fight. Be resilient, Squall. Don't lose sight of what's important to you. Stubborn is as stubborn gets after all, right?"

Her words echoed in his mind. She was trying to encourage him and Squall wasn't sure if it was going to work, but somehow, Tifa's words lightened his burden. Be resilient... He had been for the last eight years, so why should he stop now? And he could still save what was left of his ties with Rinoa right? Squall still needed to clear the air between them; that was his main responsibility now...

Squall hummed in thought before glancing at Tifa thankfully with a small upturn of his lips. Tifa blinked in astonishment as she glanced down and blushed, mumbling, "So similar..."

"Huh?" Squall questioned in confusion. Somehow, he was starting to hate the fact that he was being compared to everything, "To who?"

"To this boy I knew..."

Before Squall could asked any more questions, Seifer barged into the room ranting under his breath. He slammed the phone down on the receiver and slumped on the ground, once again turning on the television and endlessly flipping channels.

"...Seifer?" Tifa hesitated to ask.

"What?" Seifer's barked in frustration.

Tifa fidgeted in her spot, apparently not used to Seifer's more dangerous mood swings yet. Squall felt bad for her since Seifer's attitude was uncalled for. Saving her, Squall continued for Tifa, "What happened?"

"Quistis's nagging! That's what!" Seifer shot back. He turned to Squall and began ranting again, "I swear to Hyne that woman's as cold as the ice up in Trabia! Did she care when I told her I was hurt? No! She thinks I was lying so I could skip school! What the hell kind of reaction is _that?_"

Squall rolled his eyes, "Can you blame her? You always make up an excuse not to attend school."

Seifer pointed a threatening finger at the brunette...because he was right, "You're lucky I tolerate you, otherwise I would've left your ass out to dry hours ago."

Tifa furrowed her eyebrows at this, "Seifer."

"What is this? Does _everyone _want to badger Seifer Almasy today?" Seifer exaggerated, throwing his hands up in the air while turning off the television. He pulled himself up on the second couch in the room, grabbed a blanket that was lying on the floor and wrapped himself in it, looking away from the people in the room, "I'm going to sleep. So don't disturb me or I'll beat you up."

Squall and Tifa stared at him in awkward silence before Tifa giggled, shaking her head and whispering, "Is he always like this?"

"Only when he wants to be the center of attention," Squall smirked.

"...I heard that," Seifer growled under his breath, his tone suggesting they stop talking about him behind his back...literally.

Tifa giggled again before she stood up, "Anyways, it's late and I have to work in the morning."

Squall replied, "Night Tifa... Thanks again."

She smiled at him, picking up Squall's empty bowl after giving his shoulder one more supportive squeeze, "You don't have to thank me; I'm happy to help. And remember what we talked about." Squall softened his gaze a little and gave her a curt nod, causing her smile to grow. Tifa began to walk away, parting, "Good night, Squall; Seifer."

The blond grunted in response and Tifa made her way out of the living room. Sounds from the kitchen were made before the click of a door closing was heard down the small hallway around the corner. Squall just sat there, watching the spot Tifa disappeared from. He was starting to like her; she reminded him a little of Ellone. She was supportive and a sincere... Like a sister.

"Do you like her?" Seifer questioned from his spot on the couch.

Squall proceeded to lie down on his makeshift bed on his couch, lifting the blanket to cover his body. He shook his head even though Seifer couldn't see him. Squall read the double meaning in the question and answered Seifer with his self-proclaimed correct response, "No, I don't."

Seifer sighed as he turned off the lamp and the lights went out in the room. He added after another pause, "Tifa would be good for you; a practical match up. Why can't you look at any other girl?"

Squall didn't bother to answer; he and Seifer would only have a ping pong argument about this. Instead, he stayed quiet, pretending to put on a facade that he was already sleeping. The blond never replied back and Squall assumed he either fell for his tactic or simply dropped the subject altogether. Squall thought the latter. The brunette closed his eyes briefly before opening them again, catching a small ray of light outside the window. He turned his head to gaze out at the night sky. The stars were out tonight...

"_...if you still feel lonely and scared, wish on a starry night!"_

Rinoa's words that day in Winhill rang in his ears...

"_I know you'll be okay, Squall. Be brave!"_

So he wished. Closing his eyes and thinking hard, Squall wished on those stars that he could regain his dignity and courage to face Rinoa again. She deserved better than what he gave her the past few days. If he had to, he'd start from square one again.

[][][][][][][][]

It was probably early in the morning now, but Squall could care less. He wasn't able to sleep a wink with his thoughts filled with Rinoa. He had been contemplating about her, wondering how he should face her. He had to go home some time right? Laguna and Julia were probably worried sick now.

He carefully sat up, throwing his legs over the couch. He wasn't hurting as much anymore, but Squall still felt tender on certain parts of his body. Quietly getting up, Squall tiptoed down the small hallway to get to the bathroom. Tifa's bedroom door was closed and Squall hoped she was still sleeping. He was grateful to her for taking care of both him and Seifer, but he didn't want to burden her anymore.

Squall turned on the bathroom light and immediately cringed at the sight reflecting off the mirror. He had a few bruises on his face that were slowly fading away, but the bandage across his face stuck out more than the bruises. Squall took a deep breath, anticipating what he would find underneath it. Grabbing the top left corner, Squall slowly peeled off the bandage. He flinched slightly, but pressed on. When he finished unwrapping the visible bandages on his face and arms, he ran the tap and washed his face, gently removing the dried blood crusts around the bridge of his nose. The water was cool against his skin and numbed some of the remaining pain.

Turning off the faucet, Squall wiped his face with his arm as a substitute for a towel while raising his head. Slowly looking at the mirror again, Squall stared at himself. The knife wound ran deeper across his face than he thought. The wound had permanently marred his face and Squall groaned. He didn't overly enjoy vanity, but the scar was an ugly reminder of his stupidity… What would Rinoa say if she saw him with this scar?

Squall let out a long sigh as he touched his reflection. He couldn't do anything about that anymore. All he could do was move on. Wiping the remaining droplets of water from his face, Squall left the bathroom and went back to the living room to fold the blanket and sheets he borrowed to sleep with. Finding his school jacket neatly folded by the couch and cleaned of blood stains, he grabbed it since it was his only possession at the time. He didn't want to leave evidence that he had spent the night at a girl's house…

"Going already?" Seifer's voice drowsily interrogated by the time Squall stood up again.

"Yeah…" Squall nodded without looking at the blond. He was ready to leave the living room before he paused, turning around to face Seifer, "Are you going home yet?"

Seifer yawned with a shake of his head, the bandage on his face long gone. What was left was a deep scar mirroring Squall's very own. Seifer leaned against his pillow nonchalantly and answered, "I'll probably crash a little longer until noon… And no, I'm not cheating on Quistis so shut up."

"I wasn't even implying that," Squall retorted with a narrow of his eyes. He got the message yesterday night after all. Besides, it wasn't any of his business where Seifer lazed around. If Quistis found out, it was Seifer's death bed; not his. Squall turned around again, mentioning, "Give Tifa my thanks. I owe her one…"

Before Squall could take another step, Seifer stopped him, "You need to let go of her, Squall."

Squall didn't have to speak to know what Seifer was talking about. Instead, he stood silently as he waited for Seifer to continue.

Seifer sighed, Squall hearing him shift in his spot, "This time, I'm serious. You got your answer didn't you? Rinoa… She doesn't want to see you other than a brother. Move on man."

He wanted to. He wanted so badly to let her go; to set her free… But Squall couldn't. He wouldn't give up on her. People could call him crazy, obsessed even, but Squall just couldn't give up on this unrequited love.

Tightening a fist at his side, Squall shook his head with a whisper, "I can't Seifer. Rinoa means everything to me… Isn't that how you felt with Quistis? When you both lived in different crowds?"

Squall heard no reply.

He concluded, "She was already dating Vincent when you were pining for her. It's the same with me and Rinoa except…our situation hits a little closer to home…"

Seifer remained quiet before Squall heard more shuffling. The brunette turned to face him, seeing Seifer once again lying on his side with his back facing Squall. He sighed, but before Squall could truly leave, Seifer advised with an edge, "Tifa says she has potions lying in one of the kitchen cupboards. I'd take one and smash it against that thick skull of yours, but I'm too lazy to do it right now. Hurry up and get out."

It was harshly put, but Squall understood where he was getting at. It was Seifer's way of showing he cared…if that was possible. Sighing with a small smirk, Squall nodded without a word. He stepped out of the living room and into the kitchen, finding and grabbing one of Tifa's potions. Squall downed it, feeling the remainder of his aches fading away. Silently thanking the girl, Squall headed for the door of the small apartment and finally left.

[][][][][][][][]

_Rinoa… What do you want me to do? _Squall thought to himself. He still wanted to talk to Rinoa about everything, but first, he had to really look at himself. Squall couldn't afford to snap and lose his temper again. But how was he to establish a firm place in Rinoa's heart again? He had already broken her trust…

A trio of kids ran past him, playing a game of tag and Squall almost ran into them. He stumbled in his step, catching his balance and narrowing his eyes. The kids didn't seem to care about the notion of being crushed by Squall as they chased each other, giggling and disappearing out of sight. Squall let out a quiet sigh. Kids these days were too carefree. Running around with not a care in the world… Squall wished he was a kid again just because living as such was simple.

It was then it hit him.

He knew where he had wandered off to after leaving Tifa's apartment. Looking around, Squall smiled a small smile as he examined the park. He, Rinoa, and Ellone used to play here a long time ago: playing tag, hide-and-seek, the general things kids do when they visited the local park. It was reminiscing in a way and something that made Squall purely happy. He was usually the passive child who had to be persuaded by the more energetic Rinoa just to climb the monkey bars… How he missed the past.

He stared a moment longer before turning around to leave. However, something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Squall squinted for a moment to take in the figure sitting solemnly at one of the swings. It was a teenage girl with medium length raven hair… It was Rinoa.

Squall's heart raced just looking at her. She was here. Was this a sign…? No, wait. Why was she here? School was soon to start right? Why was Rinoa in the park? He saw her lift her hand from the chain of the swing and brought it to her face before looking down at her lap again.

Rinoa…

He weighed his options and decided to take the bait. Taking a deep breath, Squall glanced at Rinoa in determination while strolling over to her. He tried to stop his heart from hammering in his chest, but it wouldn't cease. Squall was probably three paces away from her now and he could practically hear her breathe.

And then he stopped.

_What am I going to say to her…? _Squall suddenly panicked. How in the world was he suppose to approach her after disappearing yesterday?

The brunette didn't get a chance to thoroughly think it over when Rinoa slowly lifted her gaze. In that instant, her brown eyes locked with Squall's ocean blue ones in surprise. Squall's heart started beating in his ears again as Rinoa's eyes widened with every passing second she remained on the swing.

"S…Squall?" Rinoa stuttered, her mouth gaping and her gaze never looking away.

Squall remained calm and stoic outwardly, but sheer chaos raged within his being just by staring at her. This was it: his final chance to clear things up with her. Taking in a silent breath, Squall let out monotonously with one step forward, "…Rinoa."


	12. Bonds of Healing

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **So it's official, I'm back in school. D: Buuu… But look! Another update! xD LOL In any case, I'll try to update regularly since my course load this semester is easier on me (surprising). So this means…no long hiatus until I hit a writer's block! :D

Ahem! Imma push this chapter to the side and start writing the next one because all I can say about this one is drama (me likes drama unfortunately LOL). Next chapter, IMO, is gonna be fun! :D You shall see why… -evil laugh-

As always, I'm grateful to everyone and anyone who's been sticking with the story so far! My readers because you actually take time to read this fanfic and my reviewers because you let me know your opinions (and the occasional grammar mistakes). You all encourage me! Thanks to my reviewers: _Tiny Cherie, Niqsta, rinny, Scribbleness, Destiny-N, Funk3y Fr3sh, Alessia Heartilly, Spede, Angelwings, crepusculo4ever, Whatever41269, Turk 4 Life, aichioluv, Galneyrus, neonrubberduckies, _and _SquallIsTheBest __(Sorry I missed mentioning you last chapter! Thanks for the review!)._

* * *

"_I've hurt you so far  
Like the others who hurt you  
But I'll never leave you…"  
~Taeyang: Make Love ft. KUSH_

[][][][][][][][]

In the five minutes that they were in each other's presence, neither said a word. Squall had decided to sit on the swing beside Rinoa's, finding it awkward to stand in front of her when he couldn't form words.

_What to say? What to say?_

He didn't know how to break the silence between them. Yes he wanted to say something, but it was hard. Squall never saw himself as one to "break the ice," but how necessary it was. Should he start with an apology or would that seem confusing? Maybe asking how she was, but that seemed too stupid with what was going on between them…

Squall turned his head slightly when he heard Rinoa shifted in her seat. She fidgeted for a moment, looking in his direction before glancing away. He too looked away, tightening his grip on the chain of the swing. Was there nothing he could do to dissipate the heavy air around them? Rinoa was right beside him, but he was too ashamed of himself to do anything.

No matter how much he wanted to do something, it was tiring… He was tempted to give up again…

Squall hung his head in defeated before he suddenly felt warmth touching the sides of his face. He blinked in confusion and slowly lifted his head. In his view, he gradually saw Rinoa's arms, then her shoulders, and finally her face standing before him. He never heard her move from her spot, but then again, he was distracted with his own thoughts to notice anything. Her thumb stroked the side of his cheek gently and that was enough for him to realize Rinoa approached him on her own. Squall shyly gazed at her and Rinoa looked back with a stoic expression. However, he could read something sad in her eyes.

Rinoa removed her right hand from his face, lifting it to touch him again, but she stopped. She withdrew her hand slightly, looking for permission to proceed and Squall closed his eyes in response, giving approval of her silent request. He waited, finally feeling Rinoa's fingers lightly run across his face. She was tracing the outline of his new scar and Squall wondered what she thought about it. Rinoa's touch was gentle and Squall relaxed entirely. It was like she made everything better again and he felt like the events that transpired between them never happened.

"...I'm sorry..." he finally whispered, opening his eyes slowly to glance at her apologetically.

She stopped moving her fingers to lock gazes with him. Rinoa was soundless for a moment before looking away with a frown, "What happened to you…?"

The inevitable question, but the brunette knew he couldn't hide it from anyone for long. Squall sighed before answering calmly, "I got into a fight yesterday."

"A fight?" she questioned in a stunned whisper. Rinoa dropped her hands from his face when he nodded. He looked down at his lap as she continued her interrogation, "Someone hurt you this bad?"

"Of my own accord," Squall added, once again tightening his grip on the chains, "I was stupid last night and wanted trouble. I was...angry with myself."

Not a sound escaped Rinoa and Squall was hesitant to look at her. Slowly, he glanced upwards only to see Rinoa shaking and tears were threatening to spill out of her eyes. His looking at her only caused Rinoa to move and look away. She walked towards her seat on the swings and sat down. Rinoa dropped her hands to her lap and cried, "I was the reason you got hurt, huh?"

His heart sank. She was guilty of nothing, so why would she blame herself? _He _was the fool, not her! Rinoa only gave him an answer yesterday and Squall chose to drown in his sorrows. She didn't have to feel regret for it.

Standing up from his seat, Squall quietly walked in front of her and reached for her hands. He squeezed them in a comforting motion while he kneeled down. Rinoa was surprised and Squall simply stared at her with a shake of his head, "It isn't your fault Rinoa. I'm not blaming you."

"But—"

"Rinoa," he silenced her. Squall looked sternly before conceding defeat with a sigh. Turning away from her for a moment, Squall gathered his thoughts before glancing at Rinoa again; rubbing his thumbs soothingly over her knuckles, "What I did last night happened because I was careless. This scar on my face was because of _my _actions. I could've walked away, but I didn't. Don't blame yourself because you're not at fault…I see that now."

He quietly watched as Rinoa lowered her gaze to her lap. Squall gave Rinoa a few seconds to calm down and think. However, he was flabbergasted when he felt Rinoa adjust her hands so they were holding his. The brunette was speechless at the action as Rinoa let out a choked sob, "I was so worried about you last night…"

Squall softened his gaze, giving her hands another squeeze. Seifer was right then… Rinoa was worried about him and it made his heart flood with relief to know that. Squall nodded his head a little in acknowledgement.

"Do you hate me now?" Rinoa whispered.

The brunette was surprised. Hate her? No! Squall could hold resentment towards her, but he couldn't hate Rinoa forever. She was too close to his heart for him to hate her. Sighing Squall answered, "I could hate you for a moment, but that feeling would turn around on me."

"What do you mean?" Rinoa asked while pulling one of her hands away to wipe her face with her sleeve. She stared at him intently and all he could see was the warmth in her eyes, "Tell me honestly…please?"

This was his chance.

"You already know Rinoa," he answered sincerely. Squall released her hands, placing his own on his lap and looked away, "It's because I've fallen for you."

She didn't answer him and instead shifted on the swing. Squall knew she was thinking about his confession again. The first time he did it, he had caught her by surprise and that ended with horrible results. And that was mostly his fault in the first place for acting immature and irrational. _This _time, however, he would be more sensible about it. He wouldn't throw back harsh words in her face nor would he be insanely jealous if she brought up Cloud. Squall would treat this with more care than with impulse. Rinoa deserved that much because he treasured her more than his own life.

"Ever since we were kids, I've always liked you," Squall finally looked at her, seeing Rinoa's gaze dart away from his. He pressed on, "That's why I'm asking you to just listen, Rinoa."

Rinoa bit her bottom lip. She nodded slowly in response, waiting in anticipation for what Squall would say.

His heart was pounding in his ears, "Maybe I should've said something years ago, but even then I wouldn't have known how to put it into words. I tried to forget that feeling countless times because I wanted our family to be happy, but…I couldn't let it go. I liked you too much to let it go.

"You were always smiling at me. Maybe that doesn't mean a lot to you, but it meant everything to me. You made everything bad in my life go away. I just wanted to see you smile all the time and I thought— no, I _knew— _I could make you smile too if I was given the chance. I wanted to be your source of happiness as you were to me."

Rinoa's breath hitched, "Squall…"

"So tell me, Rinoa... What's your answer?" he asked, surprised by how smoothly the words fell out of his mouth. He was expecting to be a lot more nervous; pained even.

The tears finally spilled from her eyes, Rinoa tightening her grip on the chains of the swing. Her shoulders began to shake as she looked down at her lap. Squall patiently waited as he knelt down in front of her and keeping his gaze trained on her face. A small sob escaped her and Rinoa shook her head. She painfully whispered, "I can't... I can't Squall. I...I can't love you..."

Squall glanced down and tightened a fist, repeating the words in his head. After everything he confessed, Rinoa still couldn't love him...

_...Can't?_

Something clicked in his mind at that moment. Squall lifted his gaze, Rinoa still crying to herself. She couldn't look at him anymore, but Squall wanted her to. Rinoa had brought up something that gave Squall more hope than heartbreak. He leaned closer to her, gently placing a hand on her knee. Rinoa flinched, hesitating to look at him. Once she did, she saw Squall's face as even as it could be.

"I don't believe that," Squall looked her straight in the eye, watching Rinoa's expression turn to surprise. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out, causing Squall to expand on his answer, "I don't believe what you said."

"Why?" Rinoa managed to ask.

"Because you said you 'can't' love me," Squall repeated. He looked down for a moment before looking at her sullen and confused face. Squall offered her a genuine smile, "You said 'can't' Rinoa. You didn't say you 'don't' love me. That means...I still have a chance."

"Squall—"

"Rinoa, do you remember that day in the biology room in November? Where you were asleep?" When Rinoa simply stared at him, her tears momentarily stopping, Squall continued, "Seifer and I didn't find you together."

"Why are you...?" Rinoa weakly questioned, not understanding where Squall was coming from.

He sighed without backing down, "You were dreaming, Rinoa. Dreaming that someone was holding you tight and told you they loved you…"

Rinoa furrowed her eyebrows, "Squall—"

"You kissed them afterwards," Squall added, "…Right?"

Rinoa's eyes widened as she gasped in surprise. She searched his face as she quickly asked, "How did you—?"

"I was there, Rinoa," he answered, "I was there when you kissed me and called out my name in your sleep. You were dreaming of me that day weren't you?"

Rinoa didn't answer and instead turned away while covering her mouth with her hand. She had embarrassment written all over her face, trying to figure out how something like her dream had slipped. Squall didn't care; she needed to know that he knew. It was the one thing that Rinoa couldn't deny.

He reached up to pull her hand away from her face, causing Rinoa to look back at him, albeit sheepishly. Squall rubbed her hand with his thumb and continued, "Maybe I'm asking for too much because that could've all been an accident, but I don't see it that way. You dreamt of me and that's enough to give me hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, you _do _think of me as I think of you."

Rinoa began to tear up again, but this time she didn't look away, "Squall I... There's no way that it will happen..."

"I'll make it happen," he declared, squeezing her hand tightly. Squall watched her with determination, "I'll make you fall in love with me."

They stared at each other; neither person moving or looking away.

Rinoa started to cry again as more tears trailed down her face. Before she could wipe her face, Squall reached up and touched her cheeks. She recoiled a bit with a close of her eyes, a small part of her still uneasy with the brunette, but Squall didn't waver. He understood her uneasiness, but he meant no harm. Gently, he wiped her tears, no longer wanting to see them stain her usually happy face.

After wiping the last of her tears, Rinoa opened her eyes locking gazes with Squall. Her eyes were red from crying and she was simply frowning. It wasn't bad nor was it good. But the look in her eyes... She was simply gazing at him.

Squall returned the look without breaking away. The atmosphere wasn't strange nor was it out of place; it just felt right. It was then Squall started leaning upwards towards her face. His hands still cupped her cheeks, but they were loose enough to give Rinoa the choice to move away and deny him.

...She didn't.

She stiffened and held her breath, but Rinoa didn't move away. Squall took this as initiative and leaned even closer, slowly guiding her face downwards to meet his. Rinoa's eyes began to flutter close and that was enough to let Squall know that she was expecting, anticipating something from him. He could feel the heat of her skin and the warmth of her breath touching him now as he closed his eyes and slowly closing the gap between them...

"What's going on here?"

A dark voice called out causing Rinoa and Squall to break away. Squall wasn't surprised to see Cloud standing at the far end of the swings with a scowl on his face. Cloud had a bandage covering the left side of his cheek and his bottom lip was starting to recover from a nasty cut; courtesy of Squall. He was also holding a water bottle in one hand as he glared daggers at Squall. The brunette, for once, didn't return the glare. Instead, he simply glanced at the blond with a stoic look. Rinoa on the other hand couldn't contain her surprise at being caught.

"Cloud!" she gasped with wide eyes.

Squall sighed as he dropped his hands. Standing up, Squall dusted his pants before walking a small distance away while Cloud approached Rinoa. He had his back turned on the couple with arms crossed to give them space. He was prepared for what was to come, however, Squall was displeased with Cloud's timing above all else.

Cloud trotted over to Rinoa, darting his eyes a few times at Squall before settling on his girlfriend. She squirmed in her spot as she glanced up at Cloud. He wasn't sure what had transpired, but he didn't want to place blame on Rinoa. It was Squall he didn't trust; the brunette was manipulative in his opinion. Sighing, Cloud gave Rinoa a small smile, "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah," she nodded, unsure of herself.

"…Did he do anything?" Cloud suddenly asked, his irritation directed at the brunette's back with a glower.

Rinoa's eyes widened, "No! Squall just… He came to apologize to me. You know he didn't come home last night…"

Cloud bit back a sharp remark. He looked away as he whispered, hiding his annoyance, "Yeah, I know."

Rinoa nodded, shyly looking at Squall's back, "I didn't know he would come here. He just…showed up."

Of course Squall just "showed up." The brunette probably stalked every place Rinoa walked in! Cloud shook his head slightly. No, that wasn't true. Squall and Rinoa were just…inclined to finding each other… _That_ was the thing he hated about the stepsiblings' relationship. It didn't matter how far apart they were; they were bound to find each other because of their close bond… And Cloud hated it.

He could still remember how heartbroken Rinoa was when she called him last night—

"_What am I going to do Cloud?" she panicked, "What if Squall doesn't come home because of me?"_

"_He'll come home, Rinoa. Give him time—"_

"_It's already past nine-thirty! How much time does he need?" Rinoa quickly retorted in frustration. She let out a small sob before breaking down again, "I shouldn't have said that to him; I don't hate him. I want him back… Cloud I want to tell him I'm sorry!"_

—It only took one comment from Rinoa's mother to calm her; telling her that Squall was staying at Seifer's for the night. Rinoa was so relieved that she started crying again. Cloud was glad she found some reprieve…but he felt the opposite. No, he didn't want Squall to be in _that _much danger, but Rinoa's reaction to Squall's disappearance was strange to say the least.

He thought her mood would get better, but Rinoa was still unhappy her stepbrother hadn't come home. To cheer her up, Cloud told her to pick one of her favorite places and they would spend time there before heading to school. Cloud was pretty sure she wouldn't be up for classes anyways. Rinoa obliged and chose the park… What were the odds Squall would be here too? They attracted each other like magnets.

"Cloud?"

The blond snapped out of his daze and looked down at Rinoa, "Yeah?"

She gave him a sheepish look before smiling a little, "I think I'll go home for today."

Cloud blinked, "Are you sure?"

Rinoa nodded, "Yeah. I mean I already missed first period and I didn't really mean for you to drag me away. You should go to school before you miss anymore classes."

"Do you want me to drop you home?" Cloud asked. He didn't mind staying with Rinoa even if he was going to get trouble from his teachers…especially their shared biology/homeroom teacher…

"No it's fine. Don't worry about it," Rinoa shook her head, smiling up at Cloud, "We didn't go too far anyways. And…I have Squall to walk home with me."

"Rinoa," Cloud stopped her there, frowning, "Do you remember what he did to you yesterday?"

"I know, but he's different today."

"I can't trust him if he's bound to hurt you again."

Rinoa furrowed her eyebrows, "Cloud, Squall isn't going to hurt me. He's my brother."

Cloud wanted to argue, but in doing so would upset Rinoa and he didn't want that. Glancing at Squall, who was now digging his shoe into the snow and gravel, Cloud glared before looking back at Rinoa. She was set in her decision and Cloud knew nothing he said would change her mind easily. Looking away, he pouted, "Fine… But if anything happens—"

"_Nothing's _going to happen, Cloud," Rinoa reassured, finally standing up and gently touching Cloud's cheek. He turned to her as she continued, "I promise."

He stared at her before finally sighing with a nod. Cloud took hold of Rinoa's hand and kissed it. He was still iffy on letting her go, but Cloud knew it was pointless to drivel further. He could trust Rinoa; she wouldn't do anything to betray him. Looking at Squall before Rinoa again, Cloud spoke, "Alright… I'll see you after school?"

Rinoa smiled and nodded, "Yeah. I'll call you."

Cloud leaned forward to give Rinoa a small kiss on the lips before pulling away and squeezing her hands. Walking up to Squall, he looked neutral. The brunette turned to face him with an equally unreadable expression. They simply stared at each other before Cloud turned away; speaking with a voice out of Rinoa's hearing range, "If you make her cry again, I'm sure as hell not going to watch idly."

"For once we're in agreement," Squall answered, his eyes flickering to a steel blue, "I won't make her cry anymore, but if so much as a tear escapes her because of _you—_"

"That will be the day you really provoke me," Cloud concluded warningly, pushing past Squall. The blond was unfazed for he knew he'd do everything to make Rinoa happy.

Cloud gave one last wave to Rinoa before finally reaching his motorcycle. Putting on his helmet, he began to think again. Rinoa was far too kind for her own good. Whether it was him or even Squall, she could cast a spell and not know the repercussions of it. Her uncanny ability to draw people to her was too strong. And as Cloud began to drive off on his bike, he realized Squall could cast the same spell, but in a different way.

And he only hoped Rinoa wouldn't fall victim to Squall's spell before Cloud could find a way to break it.

[][][][][][][][]

They were silent again as they walked home, but it wasn't awkward this time. Squall had his hands in his pockets as Rinoa kept her eyes forward, her hands grasping her school bag in front of her. He wanted to convince her to go school, but Squall wasn't sure how to bring up the topic.

"…They're going to be mad you know," Rinoa murmured, getting Squall's attention.

Squall glanced at her before facing forward again. He knew what she was talking about, "You're right; they will be."

Rinoa looked at him then with a frown, "What are you going to tell them?"

_Good question, _he sighed, looking at the sky. It was pointless to make excuses because for some reason, Laguna was very sharp when things were very serious. If Squall so much as said a cat scratched his face, he had no doubt Laguna would point out Squall's lie and get very expressive in the bad kind of way. Squall didn't want to give Julia the responsibility to calm down an erratic Laguna. Running a hand through his hair, Squall answered, "I guess I'll just tell them the truth about me getting into a fight."

He added for himself, _And we'll ignore how a gang was involved…_

"And school? The headmaster gave Cloud a punishment for causing a ruckus, but he was lenient because Cloud focuses a lot on his studies. I would say the same for you, but…you ran out after what happened," Rinoa explained cautiously.

Squall looked annoyed for a moment, but he was mindful when Rinoa mentioned Cloud's name. Shrugging, he replied, "I'll get what I get, but I'm not going to make any mentions of the fight to the headmaster. Seifer was there with me and I know he's been trying his hardest this year to get into a good university for Quistis's sake. It wouldn't be fair if he was dragged down and punished because of my actions."

Rinoa nodded slightly before she smiled smugly, "You know… You and Seifer are acting all buddy-buddy lately. Have you finally overcome your differences?"

"As if," Squall scoffed and deadpanned, "We're more liberal of each other because he knows."

Her eyes widened, "WHAT? You told him about you and…and me?"

The brunette shook his head, "No. He caught me kissing you in the biology room that day."

"Then—"

"He's keeping it a secret. Don't worry," Squall interjected, knowing where Rinoa's mind was heading. Looking away, Squall continued, "It's because he's been doing that for me that I don't want to cause him trouble. That's all."

It was silent again before Rinoa asked another question, "…Did he give you any advice?"

"…He told me to give up on you," Squall answered shortly.

Rinoa became quiet again and Squall welcomed it. He was nervous because this was the first time they were talking calmly about his feelings. If he had known it may have been this easy (at least that's what it was so far), he would've confessed ages ago. But if he did…he wouldn't have had Seifer backing him up, as strange as that sounded.

"You never followed," Rinoa pointed out, slowly looking at him.

Squall never returned her gaze and instead stopped walking altogether. Rinoa stopped beside him, never pressuring him for an answer, but he knew she was testing him. Removing his hands from his pockets, Squall turned to her then and answered, "I told him you meant everything to me."

They stared at each other before Rinoa broke away, walking ahead of Squall by just pace. Squall followed, but stayed behind her as she began again, "…Everything?"

"Everything. That includes your smile, your laughter, your tears, your happiness… All of it," Squall simply answered, standing beside her again when it was Rinoa's turn to stop walking.

Rinoa quickly frowned at him with a furrow of her eyebrows. Her eyes told him she was confused and somewhat frustrated, "How can you say all those things so easily?"

Before she could even blink, Squall leaned forward and rested his forehead on hers. Rinoa flinched, caught by surprise, but she stayed firm. She promised Cloud that nothing was going to happen and _nothing _was going to happen.

Squall simply rested his forehead against hers, having placed a hand behind her head to prevent her from moving away. He was lucky at the swings, but Squall wouldn't press his luck this time. His eyes were closed before he opened them slowly; locking gazes with Rinoa as a faint blush spread across her cheeks. He smiled a little and surprised her again, "Because I wished on stars last night. You told me a long time ago to do that when I wanted to be brave. And I wanted courage to speak with you properly about this."

She looked back at him with wide eyes and her blush became redder. He gave her another half-smile before removing any trances of his touch from her. Squall began to walk forward again, admitting to himself that his action was rather impulsive. But what could he do? He didn't know how else to answer the question because what he said was partially true.

_Still, that was _too _bold, _he scolded himself, covering his mouth with one hand.

Suddenly, he was pulled to a stop when his free hand snagged against something warm. Squall looked down at his hand curiously, noticing Rinoa's hand was wrapped around his own. The brunette slowly lifted his gaze from Rinoa's hand to her face only to see her blush in embarrassment.

"I…" Rinoa whispered, gripping Squall's hand tighter.

He still didn't know why she reached out for him, but Squall could see that she didn't know why either. Sighing, Squall brought her ungloved hand to his lips and slowly exhaled a warm breath over it. Rinoa just stared at him blankly and Squall ignored her. He released her hand before continuing forward, "I need to get you home before your fingers freeze to death."

Rinoa didn't reply but followed closely behind. They were a block away from home now and Squall was dreading the fact he would soon confront Laguna and Julia. He sighed and continued to walk, feeling something drop against his back. Squall never stopped walking as Rinoa rested her forehead against his jacket, loosely hooking her fingers with his own. Even when the cold air danced around them, Squall was completely warm with just Rinoa's touch.

"Squall?" Rinoa whispered quietly.

"…Yeah?"

Rinoa rubbed her forehead comfortingly against his back as they reached the front door, "About what I said yesterday… I don't hate you…"

Squall gave Rinoa's fingers a gently squeeze, "…I know."

[][][][][][][][]

"A _cat, _Squall?A cat attacked _you? _I don't believe that for a second!"

Squall narrowed his eyes and looked at Laguna's accusing face, "I never _said _that!"

"But you were thinking about it weren't you? What happened to you? Tell me!" Laguna cried as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "Why did you come home in bruises and your face… Why is your face scarred?"

The brunette tiredly sighed, looking between Laguna's anticipating face and Julia's worried expression. Closing his eyes, Squall leaned back on the armchair he sat in, "I got into a fight last night…"

"WHAT?" Laguna cried out. He rushed to one arm of the chair and interrogated, "Who was it? I'll make whoever hurt you pay! I wasn't in the army for nothing you know!"

"_Laguna!" _Squall narrowed his eyes at his father in warning. He only ever called out his father's name when he was truly annoyed…like now. Squall really needed to calm the older man down at this point before he switched to his extremely naggy self.

"Dear…" Julia cut in, touching Laguna's shoulder. She smiled at her husband in a comforting motion and pulled him away from the armchair. Placing her hands on Laguna's cheeks, Julia calmed, "Darling, please be rational. What happened last night can't be fixed, but at least Squall came home in one piece—"

"But Julia!" Laguna argued, nearing the edge of losing his senses, "Someone attacked Squall and destroyed his face! _Raine's _face!"

_Idiot! _Squall wanted to scream. How could Laguna bring up _her_ in front of Julia? Had he forgotten that he was married again and Raine was _dead? _Even if he did treasure Julia as much as he did Raine, Squall knew it was inappropriate to bring up another woman's name in front of your current wife and lover. The brunette glanced over at Julia in case he would need to say something, but instead, Squall was surprised by how calm she continued to be. She was neither mad nor hurt about Laguna mentioning Raine.

Stroking her thumb against Laguna's face, Julia nodded, "Yes I know. Squall and Ellone are the last valuable treasures you and Raine share, but I'm sure she wouldn't want you to lose your temper over this. Squall came home safely. Raine would be relieved just to know that and you should too. Don't give in to your anger because of this." Suddenly, she looked over at Squall with a soft smile, "Isn't that right Squall?"

Squall blinked before nodding, "Uh, yeah. It wasn't as bad as you make it to be, Dad. I know it was stupid and it won't happen again."

Laguna remained quiet, thinking over what he was told. Squall could still see he was a little miffed, but he soon conceded to their words. Sighing, Laguna rubbed at his temples and Squall felt a little bad for adding more stress to his father's already busy lifestyle. Nodding, Laguna looked back at Squall with more restraint, scolding, "Never in my wildest imaginations did I think you would cause trouble like this. Squall I know you're a responsible kid, but I gotta say, you let me down last night."

"I know," the brunette looked down guiltily, "And I'm sorry."

He felt Laguna's hand on his shoulder and Squall lifted his eyes and turned to Laguna. The older man smiled sadly at him, "I already lost Raine… I don't want to lose you too."

Again, Squall was irritated Laguna brought up Raine's name in Julia's presence, but he was aware Laguna had his heart on his sleeve at the moment. The older man was probably just drunk on emotion. All Squall did was nod and that was all Laguna needed to calm down entirely.

Julia smiled in knowing the issue between father and son had been dispelled. Tapping Laguna's shoulder, Julia informed, "I think Squall could use a little rest. And I'm sure Mr. Seagill would want you to call him back."

Laguna nodded, standing up and running a hand through his hair with a sheepish grin, "Yeah… I kinda left Kiros in the dark after Squall walked through the door, huh?"

"I'm sure he'll understand when you explain the situation to him," Julia giggled lightheartedly, causing Laguna to chuckle as well.

"But I don't really feel like going back to work," Laguna childishly commented. Squall had to roll his eyes with how easily swayed his father was. One minute he was jumping off a phone conference with his close friend and work associate, Kiros Seagill, to interrogate his son and the next minute he was being his usual, goofy self. Squall could never figure him out, but he was glad that Laguna never took things to heart all that much.

"Now, now," Julia shooed him away, "You can talk to Squall all you want after finishing your work."

The older man groaned playfully before chuckling again. He gave Julia a light kiss and parted a few words to Squall before disappearing back into his home office. Squall acknowledged him before finally sinking back into his seat. His eyes were closed for a moment before he opened them again and watched as Julia tucked hair behind her ear.

She caught him staring and she smiled, "What is it Squall?"

"You don't get mad at him for bringing up Mom's name," Squall answered after a short pause. He stood up and frowned at her apologetically, "He should know better than to bring her up when you're around. It isn't fair to you."

"I appreciate the thought, Squall, but it's alright," Julia replied, folding her arms across her chest, "You needn't feel bad about me or feel the need to scold Laguna."

Squall furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "But why? He says another woman's name freely in front of you and then he acts like _she's _the only one he can see? How can you allow that?"

"Because I love him," she simply answered, astonishing Squall with her reply. Julia giggled a little and walked towards him, "Your father had two loves in his life and I was one of them. The other was your mother and she had a lot more influence over your father than I ever could."

"And why is that?"

Julia tilted her head and brushed Squall's bangs out of his face with a small smile, "Because you were born."

Squall was taken aback. Because he was born…?

"You were something born out of love between your father and mother. That's something Laguna and I never had when we were younger," Julia explained without feeling uncomfortable, "Laguna and I can love each other, but I know where I stand and I know I can never replace Raine. She will always have a place in his heart and I respect that."

Squall examined Julia's eyes and he knew she wasn't lying. The issue could have been different when he was younger, but somehow Julia managed to accept the part of Laguna that belonged to Raine over time. The brunette's respect for his stepmother increased. Smiling slightly Squall commented, "Thank you Julia; for taking care of him."

"I don't need to be thanked; I like taking care of him," Julia teased with a giggle. She kissed Squall's cheek before motioning for him to go upstairs, "Now then. I really think you should rest. Be at ease for today, Squall."

He nodded in understanding, but before he left the den, Squall looked over his shoulder and asked, "Like Dad… Do you ever think about your… Rinoa's father?"

Squall waited for a response and he saw Julia nod, "Sometimes when I look at Rinoa, I see a little bit of him in her. There isn't a moment where I don't think about him."

He pondered for a moment before nodding and walking away. Two loves… Both Laguna and Julia experienced two loves. Something like that must've been hard to accept within each other, given their history. But then again, it made both Laguna and Julia stronger people. They could confide with each other their worries and that's what made them close. Squall thought they were both amazing people.

When he got to the top of the stairway, Squall saw Rinoa leaning against the wall beside his bedroom door. She wasn't wearing her school uniform anymore and instead wore something casual. Laguna and Julia didn't seem to mind her coming home without going to school. Squall assumed it was because she was just as worried about Squall since yesterday.

He made his way to her when she finally turned to look at him. Rinoa picked herself off the wall and rubbed her upper arm while looking at him without a word. It was silent before Squall mentioned, "Laguna got mad, but Julia calmed him down."

"I heard," Rinoa replied nervously. She crossed her arms, "What now?"

"I think I'll get some shut eye. Sleeping in someone else's house is uncomfortable," Squall sighed with a shake of his head.

Rinoa giggled a little and smiled, "Typical you. I guess sleeping over at Seifer's wasn't fun."

_Seifer's…Right… _Squall reminded himself. He nodded in agreement, keeping the fact that it was actually Tifa's house he slept over at last night. Squall asked curiously, "And what are you going to do? You should've gone to school."

"I didn't want to," Rinoa retorted, glancing away, "I wanted to make sure it was real…"

"Make sure what was real?" Squall questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Rinoa bit her bottom lip before shyly looking up at him, "…That you're really home…"

Squall was speechless, but he quietly chuckled to himself. That was so "Rinoa" of her. Why wouldn't he come back? To him, she _was_ home. Walking up to Rinoa, he gently threw his arms around her and pulled her to his chest for a hug. Squall wasn't one to display public affection of any kind, but this was one of those rare occasions where he wanted to be close without thinking of the consequences.

He felt her tense up before unwinding and Squall stroked her hair lightly, whispering, "I'm home."

Her arms made their way around his back and Rinoa hugged him back tightly, burying her face against his chest, "…Welcome back."


	13. Triangles and Rectangles

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **I am so so sorry this has taken almost two months to come out! I was really excited for this chapter, but somewhere along the way, it never came out the way I wanted. This probably isn't my fondest chapter for me, but perhaps you guys might like it. I still tried to keep everything consistent after such a long hiatus. Oh, and "surprise surprise!" near the end of the chapter. :P

Thanks to the readers! I know I say it all the time, but knowing people still look at this no matter how long it takes me to update makes me happy! Thanks for making the effort to stay with me and continue supporting my story! To my reviewers: _Funk3y Fr3sh, Ally Todd, Alessia Heartilly, saya, Destiny-N, Scribbleness, aichioluv, crepusculo4ever, Niqsta, Rinoa-sa, Turk 4 Life, Squall. Is. The. Best., Nagia Heartilly, angelwings, j-mercuryuk, Spede, Galneryus, _and _onewingedangel4. _I know I haven't replied much this time around, but do know that I appreciate your words! You guys keep me going and I'm really glad you take the time to review the story no matter how much you have to say. I'll make the effort to reply right away this time! Thank you! :)

And a note to anyone who's interested: I uploaded a story back in January for the release of Duodecim starring our favorite father-son pair. There's no spoilers except for FFVIII inclusions… Yeah, I'm pretty sure we don't know that story… *end sarcasm* Take a read if you want!

I hope you all enjoy until I come out with the next chapter and hopefully (though I can't make promises) it'll come out soon! Remember to R&R!

* * *

"_Ignoring and comforting alternately, I avoided you  
When did we start clashing with each other? Endlessly contemplating  
I'm troubled in a problem with no answer"  
~Big Bang: Last Farewell_

[][][][][][][][]

Three minutes. He would give this three more minutes…

"…your actions strongly influence your peers…"

He wondered if the Headmaster liked hearing his voice so much…

"…therefore, I think it is best that we…"

How was anyone supposed to feel comfortable in this room? A redecorating was in order. The room was _way _too bland for his tastes… And he thought he was a pretty boring person.

"Mr. Loire? Did you listen to a word I just said?" Headmaster Cid questioned. His hands were neatly locked together on top of his desk as he watched Squall with a critical eye.

Squall fought the urge to roll his eyes as he sat up straight in his chair. He gave off the impression that he was intently listening, but the Headmaster had seen through his seemingly flawless facade.

Sighing, Squall spared him a glance and recited, "My actions the other day were irresponsible and caused much trouble to part of the student body and the teaching staff. Cloud and I are being punished based on how severe our actions were, but I'm receiving more liability since I never came to school yesterday. I'm to perform some sort of volunteer service until otherwise stated… Does that sum everything up Headmaster?"

Headmaster Cid blinked in surprise, "Yes, that's…correct…Ahem!" He cleared his throat before adjusting the glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. The Headmaster thought for a moment before speaking again, "Squall…I realize that this may as well be your first serious offense in school, but I just want to understand what made the situation as bad as it did. If anything, I don't want to severely punish you because I know you have a positive influence on the student body as a whole."

"Cloud and I just have a mutual disdain for each other," Squall deadpanned. He ignored the headmaster's blank look as he explained without a care, "I don't like him; he doesn't like me… We rubbed each other the wrong way that day. That's all. Can I leave now?"

Cid sighed, knowing any further attempts to sway the young man would do no good. Nodding, Cid informed, "You'll start your detention tomorrow. I'll inform your homeroom teacher of the changes."

Squall nodded, mentally sighing in relief. He stood up from his chair and opened the door to the Headmaster's room. Squall walked past the secretary wordlessly and turned to leave the office. He was surprised to see Rinoa sitting on a ledge in the foyer, hugging her legs close to her chest.

Rinoa looked at him with a furrow of her eyebrows, "Is it bad?"

"No," Squall scratched the back of his head. Was Rinoa waiting for him? A smile wanted to cross his face, but he coughed it away as he started walking down the hallway, "Just detention and volunteer work."

Rinoa bobbed her head before cautiously asking, "…Headmaster Cid didn't ask you about…?"

"He doesn't know about the gang fight," Squall interjected, wanting to forget that incident. When Cid saw his new scar, Squall attempted to hide the truth by saying a neighbor's antsy cat that had gotten to him. It was funny how the headmaster was gullible enough to accept that when Laguna wouldn't…

"I see…" Rinoa sighed in relief. Suddenly, she tilted her head at Squall with a smile, "So then! Now that you're practically out of the red, you need to catch up on your classes!"

Squall blinked in slight confusion. Rinoa was being…cheery with him, "I guess."

"What do you mean 'I guess'? It's true! Just because we're coming straight out of holidays doesn't mean you can slack off!" Rinoa scolded as she stopped walking to place her hands on her hips. She pointed a finger accusingly in Squall's direction, "You're one of the school's smartest students so you can't let that drop mister!"

"…Were you listening to what the headmaster was saying?" Squall questioned with a raise of his eyebrow.

Rinoa's serious expression quickly evolved to one of bewilderment, "Huh? No. Did he say something like that?"

Squall's mouth twitched and he stifled a chuckle, "Yeah…he did."

"How was I supposed to know? I wasn't there!" Rinoa blushed. She pouted and looked away haughtily to hide her embarrassment, "Anyways, I have History class next."

The brunette shrugged coolly, following after Rinoa as she walked down the empty corridor. Squall scratched his head, watching Rinoa stride forward, "So what exactly are you learning?"

"The Ancient Centran Empire. What else?" Rinoa sighed tiredly. She flippantly looked over her shoulder to Squall, "You finished learning that on…Monday right?"

Squall nodded, "It was interesting."

"Says you!" Rinoa let out. She slapped her forehead and groaned, "_My _History teacher makes everything sound so boring. The only thing I could get from him last class was something about Centran marriage traditions…"

This caught Squall's interest. He hummed, "Oh? What about Centran marriages?"

"I dunno. I think it was something about royal marriages," Rinoa explained, engrossed with the subject. She crossed her arms in thought, "The only reason why that sticks out is because everyone made a big deal about royalties marrying their cousins or something strange thing like that."

"It wasn't only cousins," Squall began, catching up to Rinoa's pace. He pocketed his hands and glanced at her, "Aunts and uncles could marry nephews and nieces respectively. In even rarer cases, it would be parent and child. It was common practice back in ancient times to make sure royal blood stayed with the royalties; especially in Ancient Centran history."

"What?" Rinoa slowly questioned uncomfortably. She shook her head, "That's…wow…"

Squall smirked at her reaction, "Well if you want something less disturbing, then another common one way back when was a marriage between a brother and sister."

Rinoa gaped with wide eyes, "That's _just_ as disturbing! Why would you want to marry your brother or sister? They're like your childhood best friend. No… They _are _your childhood best friend! Not to mention the blood relations…"

"And yet that was the norm back then," Squall reminded, "It wasn't so strange for same age relatives to fall in love with each other."

"But that's—!" Rinoa stopped, furrowing her eyebrows, "Between blood relatives… I just can't see it…"

"Then your views are different if it was between siblings with no shared bloodline?" Squall questioned, looking at the raven haired girl intently. Rinoa stopped in her tracks and Squall whispered in the still empty hallways, "…Like you and me?"

Rinoa stared at him blankly, realizing she'd fallen into one of Squall's rare mind games. He had taken something she learned in class and blew it out of contextso it reflected the dilemma between _her_ and _him._ Rinoa frowned. How could he do that to her?

Squall continued to lock eyes with her, not necessarily uncomfortable with her small sneer. To be honest, he _was _testing her to see if she could distinguish between loving a sibling and being _in _love with a sibling whether by blood or not. Squall agreed that blood siblings had a permanent limitation of affections between each other…but it was a whole other game when it was affections between stepsiblings. Rinoa hadn't mentioned anything between stepsiblings so it meant fair game to him. Squall just wanted her to see what he had always believed.

She sharply turned away, "I have class."

"Rinoa," Squall interrupted. He shot up his arm to the wall, blocking Rinoa from escaping. Seeing no one in the hallway, Squall allowed himself to move closer. She hardened her exterior and the brunette knew she was on the defensive, but again he wasn't fazed. After all, Squall was taking precautions with how he handled himself around Rinoa and his feelings now. He whispered lowly, "Think about it."

"…I need to go," Rinoa whispered back, unable to meet Squall's eyes. She ducked under his arm and he didn't do anything to stop her from leaving. Rinoa didn't even say goodbye when she disappeared around the corner. Left by his lonesome, the brunette ran a hand through his hair. He walked in the opposite direction Rinoa did, having to backtrack to his English Literature class.

It was funny how Rinoa hated history when Squall enjoyed it, but he detested literature when Rinoa loved it. Maybe she found history too boring or confusing to connect with. Maybe he found literature too creative or interpretive for his tastes. He could think of many opposites for them, but it told him where they stood.

Rinoa believed in fanciful tales in fictional worlds: Fantasy.

Squall looked to actual accounts set in the existing one: Reality.

Opposites, but he was okay with a little opposition. The only thing he wanted was for them to meet in the middle; to find common ground where _they _could stand… _If_ Rinoa gave _them _a chance. In his strongest opinion, stepsiblings were never bound to that unspoken rule of "sinful love."

[][][][][][][][]

Squall sipped down on his soda without a care, resting his head against his hand and ignoring the mindless chattering around him. He was dragged by his friends to hang out at the arcade afterschool. Selphie and Yuffie treated it like a celebration of Squall's "return from the dead," but he knew they only wanted an excuse for everyone to go to the arcade. So here they were: him, bored out of his mind; Irvine, Zell, and the hyperactive twins busying themselves with the crane game; Seifer and Quistis, whom Squall was sitting at the table with, once again bickering; and Rinoa…well she was with Cloud. Like _always. _

Looking past the crane game, where Irvine was effortlessly trying to get Selphie a toy, Squall saw Rinoa concentrating all her attention on the pinball machine. She tapped the buttons frantically while making excited squeaks and Cloud, who stood beside her and watched her play, chuckled at her mannerisms.

It was never Squall's intention to acknowledge Cloud, but he understood the need to be civilized when they shared the same public setting since the headmaster was generous enough to not punish them severely. However that didn't stop the fact that they hated each other. The only reason Squall had yet to say anything to Cloud was because of one person and one person only: Rinoa. It's been too long since Squall saw her happy; especially around their friends. He would let whatever happen slide for today. Just for her. And somehow, Squall felt Cloud was thinking the exact same thing.

_At least there's one mutual understanding… _Squall bitterly thought, prying his eyes away from the raven haired girl.

"You're not playing, Squall?" Quistis asked, breaking away from pointlessly arguing with Seifer further.

"No," Squall answered, leaning back in his seat.

"But it would be good for you—"

"Leave him be. He's just testy because Cloud's here," Seifer interjected, resting his arm against the back of Quistis's chair, "You can see it in his face; he _wants_ to start another fight."

Both Squall and Quistis sighed; one irritated, the other exasperated, "Seifer."

Seifer merely shrugged and Squall rolled his eyes. He turned his attention to the crane game when Selphie and Yuffie let out a whoop of joy. At least someone was having fun…

"Squall," Quistis tried again, "If this is about Cloud, then there isn't much you can do. He _is_ Rinoa's boyfriend. I realize you and Cloud aren't on the best of terms, but it can't be helped."

He was already aware of that thank you very much, "I know that, but I just got off the Headmaster…"

Seifer grinned, "See? He _does _want to start a fight!"

"Seifer—" Quistis began to scold.

"—Shut up," Squall finished for her with a glare. Seifer only laughed out loud and ignored them.

"Rinny look!" Selphie's voice squealed, catching the table trio's attention. They looked over as Selphie showed off her new Carbuncle plush to Rinoa, "Look! Look! Isn't it cute?"

Rinoa was walking with Cloud to another game after finishing with the pinball machine. She beamed at the toy, "Aww! It's so cute, Selphie! Did Irvine win it?"

"Nope! I got it all by myself!" Selphie pointed to herself proudly before hugging her plush again. Irvine on the other hand looked down in shame as Zell lamely tried to pick up the pieces of the cowboy's broken male ego.

Rinoa giggled with a bright smile before she accidently locked eyes with Squall. They stared at each other for a brief moment before Rinoa quickly looked away, wrapping her hand around Cloud's, and catching both her stepbrother and boyfriend off-guard.

Cloud was confused, but not too much to think Rinoa's behavior was strange. Squall however was surprised for obviously bad reasons and he glowered at her, subtly looking away. Rinoa was actually using Cloud as a barrier; a sign for Squall to stay away from her. Was she _trying _to provoke him? Maybe she was still upset about what happened earlier in the hallway. Whatever the reason, it put Squall in an even fouler mood than before.

"Hey Loire, if you don't keep that temper in check, you'll make a repeat of what happened days ago," Seifer warned, a hidden edge in his voice. Squall glanced in Seifer's direction, seeing him appear sternly as Quistis looked between them confused. Biting back a remark, Squall remained silent.

"I'll be back," he heard Rinoa say.

Squall secretively looked up, Cloud nodding in Rinoa's direction, "Okay."

Soon afterwards, Rinoa started walking away and the brunette concluded she was probably going to use the restroom. Cloud was alone now, busying himself with the basketball throwing game. The blond was getting points with ease and he wasn't even trying. Cloud was minding his own busy, but Squall was strangely getting irritated.

Then he noticed the empty spot beside Cloud that had the same minigame…

Without a word Squall stood up, ignoring the looks the blonde couple was giving him. He casually walked towards the game beside Cloud, inserting a few tokens into the machine once he reached it. Squall didn't have to look at Cloud to know the blond was watching him suspiciously. They both proceeded to shoot the balls into the hoops in silence. Points were being racked up on both sides, but the air between them was slowly becoming competitive. Seifer and the others became attuned to the atmosphere and everyone started eyeing them carefully; almost afraid that another fight would break out between the two.

Once the current game ended, Squall and Cloud shared a curt glare. One second was all it took for them to start up another game, but this time, the competition was for real. They raced against each other to get the most baskets before the timer ran out.

It was only then Rinoa returned from the restroom, bewildered that every one of her friends were gathered in front of the basketball game, "What's going on?"

Quistis explained with a fold of her arms, ignoring the excited clamor of Zell, Selphie, and Yuffie, "Apparently, Cloud and Squall are competing against each other."

Rinoa furrowed her eyebrows, "What?"

She walked closer to the game only to find it over. Looking at the scoreboard, it was Cloud who came out victorious. The difference in points between the blond and brunette was very slim; Squall missing the win by a mere hundred points. Rinoa could see that Squall was not happy and Cloud was very much gloating over his victory with an arrogant smirk. Not liking the atmosphere at all, Rinoa voiced, "You guys—"

She was ignored as both her boys walked over to a different game, a rail shooter, to continue their budding competition. Rinoa was stunned with their sudden behavior. She was only gone a few minutes and already Squall and Cloud were fighting!

"Damn! This just got real!" Irvine grinned in amusement.

"I dunno… I'm kinda worried they'll destroy the arcade games," Zell piped up in concern.

Quistis rubbed at her temples mumbling about how immature Cloud and Squall were being while Selphie and Yuffie decided to roleplay as emcees once the shooting game started.

Rinoa simply looked on with pure horror, _This isn't happening…!_

"I would say this is your fault, but I'm pretty sure you already knew that," Seifer addressed beside her in a tone mixed between amusement and seriousness.

Rinoa rolled her eyes before looking at Seifer and whispering, "Can't you stop them?"

Seifer snorted with a half-smirk, "And why would I want to do that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Rinoa narrowed her eyes, "They're looking for a prize and that just happens to be _me. _I'm not a _thing_ to be won!"

"Rinoa, you need to understand something about those two dimwits," Seifer counted his fingers and listed, "One: They're idiots, two: They're both attracted to you, three: It's a guy thing and four: It really is your fault for leading them on. Hyne Rinoa! I didn't know you were a little heartbreaker."

"Whose side are you _on?_"

"The winning side obviously," Seifer grinned evilly, referring to the rivalry unfolding before them and _not _Rinoa's question.

She aimed to slap him clear across the face, but the sound of game over screen overrode that fact. Looking at the shooting game, she saw Squall standing triumphantly with his gun resting on his shoulder while looking smugly at the defeated blond. The points this time round was reversed with Cloud missing the higher score by some hundred points.

Cloud frowned before pointing to another game, obviously wanting revenge and Squall complied just to rub another win in Cloud's hurt pride. They headed towards the third game in their competition; taking equal strides and virtually moving in sync with one another. Selphie and Yuffie continued emceeing, following the two along as the others tagged behind them to watch more of the dangerous yet amusing competition unfold.

"Yo Kinneas!" Seifer hollered, walking over to the group, "Let's get bets on the table while this is hot!"

The raven haired girl's eyes widened, "Seifer!"

[][][][][][][][]

It was coming up to half an hour of arcade games and a winner had yet to be announced. Throughout the little tournament, both Squall and Cloud realized something: they were better than the other at certain games. Cloud bested Squall with the racing and rhythm coordination games while Squall held the title of conqueror with the shooting and fighting games. They cycled through loss and win until they came to a stalemate.

"Well… Looks like the entertainment is over," Irvine whistled, having kept count of the score. He looked over at Seifer and grinned, "I guess neither of us is gonna be making money anytime soon."

Seifer frowned, "Need I remind you that _still_ owe me money anyway?"

_There has to be something left. We're at an arcade for crying out loud, _Squall thought, not wanting to let yet another "battle" with Cloud come to a draw.

Suddenly Selphie cried out, bouncing on her toes and waving her arm, "Oh! I know!"

Everyone watched as the smaller brunette whispered to Yuffie. Her partner in crime slowly grinned, pumping a fist in the air, "Hell yes, yes, yes!"

As puzzled as they were, no one objected to following the hyperactive duo towards a game that was either hidden or ignored during the competition. Squall tagged behind as they made their way to the far end of the room. He peeked over at Cloud, surprised Rinoa wasn't standing anywhere near him. Squall blinked once, subtly scanning the group and spotting Rinoa beside Seifer.

She walked with her eyes downcast before noticing Squall's stare. He tilted his head at her, but Rinoa simply narrowed her eyes and turned away. Her reaction caught him off-guard. Was she mad about what was going on between him and Cloud? It wasn't his fault; the whole challenge thing just kind of happened… And there was no way in hell Squall was _not _going to finish it!

Once everyone reached the fated "final stage," Squall overheard Selphie speak proudly, "They should definitely compete on _this _baby!"

…_What is _that?Squall thought blinking at the attraction before him.

Music blared out of the speakers and lights flashed on the electronic dance pads placed side by side. On each pad, four directional arrows lit up with the same arrows strolling up across two separate game screens. It was a game played with one's feet…and Squall already hated it.

"Are you saying we should…?" Cloud asked unbelieving.

Yuffie rolled her eyes, "Cloud? Common sense please?"

"Yes!" Selphie squealed, "You and Squall _haven't _touched this game yet! So you must!"

Squall ignored the fact that his male friends were laughing at the challenge posed, deadpanning, "I'm not dancing."

"But how else will you figure out a winner?" Yuffie shot back. Squall thought she was either trying to negotiate rationally or she plainly wanted to see him and Cloud dance.

Glaring, he looked at Cloud to see his reaction. To his horror, the blond was pondering the idea, "You aren't actually _considering _this are you?"

"It's the only game we haven't tried…" Cloud pointed out with a stoic face, "…Unless you're scared?"

That ticked off the brunette, "Not on your life."

"Then we're…dancing."

"…Fine."

"STOP IT!"

They both flinched at the unexpected shout. Squall and Cloud looked over their shoulders to see Rinoa glaring daggers at them. She was absolutely furious with fists by her sides. Seifer had to sidestep before he got hit unintentionally by Rinoa throwing her hands in the air, "For Hyne's sake, the both of you are sooo impossible!"

Cloud frowned, "Rinoa—"

"Don't," Rinoa raised her finger to shush him, "Don't _even_ go there, Cloud."

The blond immediately stopped talking and Squall found it refreshing that Cloud got scolded by Rinoa. Squall had never seen it before, since Rinoa was always scolding him—

"And wipe that smirk off your face Squall. You're in the same boat as Cloud."

—Nevermind…

"But they're just playing games…in a _very _competitive way," Zell mumbled with a scratch of his head.

"Well I it to stop!"

Selphie furrowed her eyebrows, "But they're getting along aren't they?"

_What? _Squall was taken aback, _How are _we _getting along? _He glanced in Cloud's direction, the blond sharing the same confusion he had. They stared for a second before turning away from each other in disgust.

Rinoa pointed her finger, catching the action, "That! _That_ is what I want to stop!"

Seifer crossed his arms, "Please. That's like asking fire and water to mix together."

"But they're both being stupid!" Rinoa childishly retorted, her face red with fury.

Quistis tilted her head. Suspicion was laced in her voice as she responded, "Rinoa, I know it's frustrating for two people you love to not get along, but…your reaction seems over the top. What's bothering you?"

Suddenly Squall tensed. Were they being that obvious about what should remain secret? He had forgotten that Rinoa wasn't used to pressure like this. Squall simply went off on his own to aggravate the blond and forgot that whatever he or Cloud did would have consequences upon Rinoa; the negative kind. He watched as the raven haired girl suddenly looked away, only adding to Quistis's already solid testimony. He took a step forward in hopes of rescuing her, "That's not—"

"I'm leaving," Rinoa suddenly cut in. She rushed towards her bag before heading out the arcade entrance, ignoring the others call her name.

"What's wrong with Rinoa?"

"Um, who the hell cares?"

"Seifer!"

Squall wasted no time going after Rinoa. He quickly paced after her, but Cloud was doing the same thing. "Nice going, Strife. You've officially ruined everything," Squall spat, not bothering to look at the blond.

"Me?" Cloud scoffed, eyes forward, "If I remember correctly, you were the one who started it."

"Started what? I just wanted to play a game."

"And you so happened to pick the one beside me right?"

The brunette would've retorted with a _nasty _insult, but once they exited the arcade, Rinoa was nowhere in sight. Great; Squall just wasn't winning any points today. Instead of making Rinoa like him, she hated his guts.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, Cloud commenting, "She probably went home."

_No, really? _Squall rudely thought and added, "I'll deal with her."

"So you can hurt her again?" Cloud narrowed his eyes, Squall returning the gesture.

He was really getting tired of talking (if they even were) to Cloud. Yes, Cloud had the right mind to act the part of a protective boyfriend, but Squall wouldn't give him the benefit of comforting Rinoa every time she was upset. _He, _after all, was still Rinoa's brother…as much as he hated that fact.

"Squall!"

The brunette pulled out of his glaring contest with Cloud and looked past Cloud's shoulder, spotting a blur of red and black. There stood a group of girls all wearing the same red blazer and black skirt; a school uniform. None of the girls looked familiar to him except for the one standing in the middle waving at him. He blinked surprisingly, "Tifa?"

Cloud suddenly reacted to the name… Now why was that?

Tifa turned to her friends and mumbled something before running up to Squall's side. She smiled brightly as she pushed hair out of her face, "Hey! How are you, Squall?"

"…Tifa?"

Squall glanced at his unwanted company. For some reason, the blond was locked in utter bewilderment.

The dark haired girl blinked in confusion, turning to see Cloud staring at her. Tifa's eyes widened and tore her attention away from Squall, "Cloud!"

The brunette furrowed his eyebrows, obviously not comfortable being left in the dark. He asked, "You know him, Tifa?"

"Yeah…" Tifa nervously tucked her hair behind her ear, "We…grew up together in Nibelheim."

_And that makes everything awkward why? _Squall refrained from saying out loud. He glanced between the two silently, watching as they both stared at the ground, "…Okay…"

"What's…?"

Looking to his left, Squall spotted a puzzled Rinoa. Her eyes darted between the party of three, but she lingered mostly on Tifa. Squall wondered if it was because Tifa looked sort of like her, but he doubted it. Still, Rinoa was strangely quiet and Tifa didn't even do anything. But that wasn't the worst part. This little group…_thing_ was just plain weird.

Squall knew Tifa, but so did Cloud. Tifa was familiar with Rinoa's name, but she was extremely familiar with Cloud as a whole. Rinoa was dating Cloud, but she didn't know Tifa. Squall had personal interactions with all three, but he wasn't aware that Cloud and Tifa had a history together. Being the sole person who knew each member of this ridiculous quartet, Squall could only think of one thing:

…_What the hell kind of mess is _this?

Rinoa blinked before hastily running over to Cloud and practically tackled him when she latched onto his arm. Squall rolled his eyes at the action as the raven haired girl watched Tifa with subtle uncertainty, "Who is _she,_ Cloud?"

Cloud looked down at Rinoa while running an awkward hand through his spikes, "This is Tifa… She's, uh…"

"A childhood friend," Tifa filled in with a smile. She offered her hand to Rinoa, "It's nice to meet you. And you are?"

Rinoa took Tifa's hand and smiled back, although Squall had a feel it was hiding something. She slackened her hold on Cloud's arm, but didn't completely let go of him, "I'm Rinoa, Cloud's girlfriend… Oh and Squall's _sister." _Squall narrowed his eyes and she smiled _evilly _at him. If Squall was being childish before, then Rinoa took childishness to a whole new level.

Tifa knit her brows together, glancing at Squall momentarily before Rinoa again. She feigned another smile, but nervously played with the strap of her school bag, "Oh. Squall never told me he had a…sister…"

Red lights were flashing off in Squall's head when he noticed Rinoa's look of confusion. It was only then he realized why: he never told her _anything _about Tifa. The brunette looked at the dark haired girl, sending silent signals for her to change topics. Tifa caught wind of his attempts, but unfortunately, she was a little slow at understanding them. For once, Squall wished Cloud would _do _something to distract Rinoa instead of blankly staring at Tifa!

"Strange…" Rinoa replied, raising an eyebrow and looking at the brunette. A small frown was on her face, but Squall acted like he didn't notice, "Squall never mentioned he made a new friend either. How did you two meet?"

Without another option, Squall hastily shoved Cloud's side. He failed at speaking with his usual stoic voice and instead panic reflected in his tone, "Strife, don't you have some _apologizing _to do?"

That got the blond to snap out of his stupor and he glared at Squall, "I don't need you to tell me that."

"Whatever."

The blond glared at him once more before looking at Tifa again. His expression changed to being friendly and open, "It was nice seeing you again, Tifa."

"Yeah. You too Cloud," Tifa replied with a small smile, turning to Rinoa, "Nice meeting you, Rinoa."

Rinoa nodded, walking off with Cloud while hugging his arm tightly. Squall was seriously considering ripping Cloud's arms off just so Rinoa wouldn't flaunt her obvious affections for the blond so easily. Too bad his rational side told him to calm down; doing something like was _definitely _the wrong way to get Rinoa to think about him.

Tifa's voice cut through his thoughts once Rinoa and Cloud entered the arcade, "Rinoa's your _sister?" _Squall glanced at Tifa, seeing her confused expression. The dark haired girl slapped a hand to her forehead in exasperation and Squall knew exactly what she was thinking of, "I thought Rinoa was just a friend or something. I didn't think that she was—"

"We aren't blood related," Squall immediately interrupted. He really hated reminding people of that fact, but since Tifa really didn't know, he was more lenient, "Our parents married eight years ago. She's my stepsister."

His confession didn't lift the shock off her face, "…You're in love with your stepsister…"

Squall nodded, looking away from Tifa with a frown.

"…But she's dating Cloud."

"I know that," he rubbed his face against his hands.

_Every_ time. Every _single _time! So what if she was dating Cloud? He'd still pine for her even if she was dating the other last man on the planet. Rinoa had that effect on him; he couldn't help himself unfortunately.

It was his turn to look suspiciously, "You and Cloud are friends?"

She immediately looked away, "_Childhood _friends…"

"How come you never mentioned that before?"

"What? I didn't know you knew Cloud!" Tifa shot back.

Squall stared at her, "So when you said I reminded you of someone…you meant Cloud?"

"W-Well…" Tifa fidgeted in her spot, playing with a long lock of her hair. She could already see that the comparison was setting Squall up in a foul mood. As best she could, Tifa tried alleviating the tension, "Okay, so I know Cloud. That doesn't make a difference about you and Rinoa."

Squall would not let this go! For once, he thought someone would actually play the neutral party in this little crisis of his. Crossing his arms, Squall deadpanned, "It _does_ make a difference. Why is it that you can't look him in the eye?"

"Squall please—"

"I'm pretty sure '_childhood _friends' means you have a _lot _ofhistory together. What is it?" Squall continued to egg on. He wasn't overly interested in other people's pasts or even their present, but Tifa and Cloud had _something _together. Squall couldn't explain it, but he knew something was _there. _For someone so stoic, Cloud's eyes spoke volumes. Squall only noticed this because…he shared the same look whenever he saw Rinoa.

Tifa bit her bottom lip and sighed in defeat. Turning away, she rubbed her upper arm and began quietly, "We weren't really close; we just knew of each other."

_That's it? _Squall furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. What gives? He was expecting a lot more than just _that. _

He stayed silent as Tifa continued, "We never talked or played together. We didn't do _anything _together. Cloud and I were simply two kids going to the same school. We were barely acquaintances."

This still wasn't making any sense, "So why does it seem like you both…?"

The dark haired girl slowly turned around to face Squall, surprising him with that heartbroken expression from two nights ago, "Do you remember when I said I knew someone who broke down and couldn't pick up the pieces?"

The wheels were starting to turn again, "Cloud…"

"Yeah," Tifa let out a sad chuckle, barely whispering, "He liked me for the longest time…and I broke his heart in less than a minute."

[][][][][][][][]

"C'mon!" Zell whined, trying to bypass Seifer. He made a dash for the door, but Seifer grabbed his collar, "I wanna talk to her too!"

Seifer rolled his eyes and yanked Zell further away from the door, "Can't you see they're busy? And it's _Squall _with a _chick._"

Zell shook in his spot, suppressing his rage towards the taller blond, "But it's not _fair!_ I'm friends with Tifa too!"

Irvine grinned while Selphie sat on his lap with her Carbuncle toy. Chuckling, the auburn haired teen teased, "Zell if I didn't know better, I'd say you have a little crush on the lovely Miss Tifa."

Selphie narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend as Zell's face flushed, "Do not! She's just a friend!"

"Oh this is rich," Seifer snorted with a mocking grin, "Chicken-wuss thinks he can actually get a girl with _assets_ like Lockhart's."

"S-SHUT UP!" Zell yelled out.

Cloud chuckled a little, sitting beside Rinoa at the table. If only Zell knew that Tifa wasn't easy to confess to…

"So you knew Tifa, Cloud?" Quistis asked while resting her head on top of her entwined fingers. She sat opposite of Rinoa, her eyes looking at Cloud curiously.

He didn't get into much detail, but he nodded, "Yeah; before I moved to Midgar. It was a long time ago."

Quistis hummed and Cloud was thankful she wasn't the nosy type like Yuffie. Cloud almost felt bad for Zell when Yuffie continually bothered Zell about his supposed crush. It was still surprising how Tifa was anywhere near Esthar. What were the chances she'd attend school here as well? And he thought he could finally move away from the past…

"…Rinoa, I think that's empty now," Quistis commented with uncertainty.

Cloud snapped out of his reverie and looked down at his girlfriend. She was sipping through a straw, but her cup was empty. Rinoa was too spaced out to recall Quistis was even talking to her. Confused, he followed Rinoa's line of vision as she stared through the glass doors. Rinoa was completely focused on the bustier teen still talking with Squall.

He waved a hand in front of Rinoa's eyes and the raven haired girl was completely baffled. She put a hand over her heart and Cloud gave her a worried smile, "You okay?"

Rinoa blushed and fidgeted with her cup, "Y-Yeah. Sorry, did you say something?"

"No…nothing," Cloud replied.

Once Quistis walked away to prevent Seifer from wringing Zell's neck in annoyance, Cloud's attention was on Rinoa again only to find her staring out the window for a second time. She was frowning, playing with the straw of her drink.

Outside, Tifa was apparently finishing what she said before Squall rubbed his temples. He said a few things and then smiled with a nod. Tifa returned the gesture with a giggle, folding her arms behind her back. It didn't seem strange…but it wasn't normal either. Since when could Squall make anyone giggle? Shaking his head, Cloud returned his focus to Rinoa. Now… Now she was glaring.

"…Rinoa?" Cloud tilted his head.

Rinoa blinked, "Huh? Oh…"

Cloud sighed, leaning against the table, "Are you sure you're alright? Are you tired?"

"No no, I'm fine. Really," Rinoa mumbled, looking down at her hands. She quickly peered at the glass doors again before returning to her hands, "I just… I dunno…"

She was acting strange. Rinoa had never been so fidgety and Cloud started to wonder if it had anything to do with Tifa. She _did _just come out of the blue, but why would that bother Rinoa? Cloud stole another look outside, just in time to see Tifa's departure. She was smiling at the brunette who returned the gesture with a slight wave of his hand. They were acting normal…

What was biting at Rinoa?

Without thinking, Cloud asked, "Do you hate Tifa?"

Rinoa's eyes widened, "What?"

"Tifa's not a bad person. She's really nice," Cloud explained; though truthfully, he didn't know why. Tifa _was _nice, but… No, he didn't want to give into those preconceptions.

"…Is she now? Well that's nice to know," Rinoa dryly commented, completely ripping her view from the window. She played with her straw before looking up at Cloud again. She smiled sweetly, handing him her cup, "Can get me a refill? Please?"

Her rapid mood swing was suspicious, but Cloud didn't say anything about it for now. Nodding, he silently got up and walked to the fountain pop stand. He looked over his shoulder sneakily, and like he suspected, Rinoa went back to being moody and pouty… This attitude was new coming from her, but he _had_ seen that kind of reaction before.

From where…?

"Quit it!" Zell yelled, catching the spikier blond's attention. He spotted Yuffie pestering a flustered (or rather angry) Zell. The tattooed blond glared at both Yuffie and Seifer, "I don't care already! I can talk to Tifa another time!"

Seifer mocked, "Oh yeah? When Squall isn't around right?"

"No need to be jealous Zell!" Yuffie patted his shoulder, "You're just as good looking as Squall expect…well let's face it, Squall is just plain good looking."

Quistis hushed everyone down before Zell gave into rage, "If _anyone_ so much as causes a giant commotion, I'm not going to _hesitate _in punishing you all for such ridiculous behavior!"

"…I want you. _Now._"

"Shut _up, _Seifer!"

Cloud looked away, unfazed by the group's antics. He started thinking about Zell's outburst before a word came to him, _Jealousy? Jealousy… _

The word repeated over in his mind, suddenly making sense out of his girlfriend. Rinoa's sudden interest in Tifa, her declaration of who she was in particular in front of Tifa, and the glaring directed _at_ Tifa. Rinoa was, without a doubt, _jealous _of Tifa. Why was Rinoa jealous?

So Tifa was technical drop dead gorgeous and carried the attitude of "the girl next door," but Cloud liked Rinoa just the way she was. It was her personality that set her apart from the bustier teen. Maybe Cloud needed to reassure her of that.

He suddenly felt something as close to amusement from all of this. It was wrong, but it made Cloud feel happy knowing Rinoa was getting jealous. The way she was clinging to him when they were being introduced was like she was claiming him… Not once had Rinoa ever felt so strongly just to claim him and that made Cloud undeniably happy. It seemed like another thing Cloud would have to reassure Rinoa of: his feelings only belonged to _her._

With Rinoa's behavior figured out, Cloud made his way back to the table. He was about to call out her name when he stopped. Rinoa's eyes were glued on the doors again, causing Cloud to wonder if Tifa came back. All he saw was the brunette leaning his back against the glass. Squall wasn't doing anything wary except looking at his phone and completely ignoring everyone inside the arcade.

Cloud furrowed his eyebrows. It was just Squall. Why was Rinoa glaring daggers at his back? Was she still mad at him about earlier? If she was, then wasn't she supposed to be mad at him too or did he get off easy for being her boyfriend?

And at that moment, the word jealousy crossed his mind again.

Looking down, the blond would've crushed the soda in his hand if it weren't for the slapping sound Quistis made from smacking Seifer upside the head. Cloud sharply took in a breath of air, continuing his walk back to the table albeit in a dark mood.

He realized two things at that moment: The first was that Rinoa was growing jealous feelings towards Tifa Lockhart. The second was that, although it was undeniable that Rinoa was jealous, it wasn't because Tifa knew _him._

No.

Rinoa was jealous because Tifa knew _Squall._


	14. Still Falls the Rain

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **And so we have another chapter! It's a slightly different pace than the last one, but I happen to like this one. Funny… XD I had the original draft done a while ago, but I kind of lost my inspiration to go over this because I can't seem to transfer my motivation to write from fandom to fandom properly. But I guess it's a good thing we have awesome Squinoa fics floating around the FF8 category right? I need to especially thank _Niqsta _for this because a story of hers got me back into the Squinoa mood! Check out her stories and be fascinated! XD  
I tried adding some love in this chapter, but it came out subtly again… I don't know why. Maybe I don't want to do an extreme leap yet. ._. Sorry! But the ending is pretty interesting! *shot* Oh yeah… LONGEST CHAPTER YET. Pardon me…

Thanks again to the readers! I'm going to try (no promises) to at least update more this summer! I feel so bad for keeping you guys in the dark with this story! D: But yes, thank you! And to my reviewers: _Turk 4 Life, Squall. Is. The. Best., Alessia Heartilly, Funk3y Fr3sh, Scribbleness, onewingedangel4, saya, Destiny-N, Ioe, Niqsta, Nagia Heartilly, effect20, angelwings, Spede, aichioluv, gleamfang, _and _adonai63! _Your words were so welcoming after my long absence that I again feel bad for leaving you hanging. Also, most of you guys liked the last chapter when I didn't. That was quite interesting. LOL Thank you for letting me know your thoughts like always!

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :) Remember to R&R!

* * *

"_It's as if you understand my loneliness  
Those expressions of yours is unforgettable  
You know how I feel"  
~ Taeyang: Where U At_

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Squall sighed for the umpteenth time and groaned, "Sis, please stop."

Ellone simply shook her head. She tousled his hair playfully as she walked beside him, "Nope! I have rights to this when we're here."

"What 'rights'? It's _my_ hair," he retorted.

"Be honest, little brother, you used to _love _this," Ellone grinned, a giggle accompanying her grin the longer Squall didn't reply.

Squall groaned again and looked at Laguna who was leading, "Are we there yet?"

The older man laughed, looking over his shoulder, "Almost!"

They walked for a few more minutes before finally reaching their destination: Raine's resting place.

Squall started slowing down his pace as they approached Raine's tombstone. After all these years, he was still uncomfortable with the idea of not personally knowing his own mother. But like every year, he came to visit her. He always personified Raine to his ideals, but once he stood in front of Raine's grave, solidifying her was rather difficult. Ellone placed a gentle hand on his back and smiled in understanding. Squall gave her a small upturn of his lips in return and they walked up to Raine's resting place together.

Laguna knelt down, gently placing a bouquet of white lilies at the base of the tombstone before he reached out and traced Raine's name with his fingers. Laguna smiled softly, "Hey Raine. We came to visit! I hope you weren't lonely."

Squall blinked as Ellone walked up and kneeled beside her adoptive father. She also smiled happily, "Hi Raine! Do you like the lilies? Uncle Laguna took _forever _to pick them. He said they needed to be perfect."

"Hey!" Laguna chided, causing Ellone to laugh.

Squall watched the exchange and a smirk crossed his face. Even though Raine was gone, Laguna and Ellone kept the memory of her alive; as if she was still here with them. He stood a meter away just watching solemnly and he couldn't help but feel out of place.

Laguna noticed Squall standing by himself and he smiled, looking at Raine's grave again, "By the way, Squall's here too! You should look at him now, Raine… He looks so much like you. Surprisingly enough, you were right; he didn't inherit a lot from me."

"Not true. He has your fringe, Uncle Laguna," Ellone corrected. She shook her head before her eyes were on the gravestone once again, "But he _did _inherit your stubbornness, Raine. He's a little quiet and he glares just like you, except Squall's glare is a lot more 'glary'… Oh look! He's glaring right now!"

"Enough," Squall turned away annoyed, but in reality, he was just embarrassed. He wondered if Raine would've teased him too were she alive.

Squall heard shuffling behind him before Ellone appeared from the corner of his eye. He raised a curious eyebrow in her direction and Ellone smiled while pointing towards the town of Winhill. Squall took that as a sign they were leaving so he unfolded his arms and began to follow her before noticing someone was missing. Turning around, Squall spotted Laguna still kneeling in front of Raine's grave.

"Squall?" Ellone called out.

The brunette thought for a moment before nodding at Ellone, wordlessly telling her to go back without him. She looked at him in confusion before smiling. Ellone waved at him before heading back to town by herself. Squall raised his hand to return the gesture before turning around and slowly walking up to his father, standing quietly behind him as he continued to stare at the tombstone. Squall didn't know what compelled him to stay, but seeing Laguna as he was made him a completely different person. Maybe, just maybe, Squall was curious about his father, his mother, and their relationship.

"I proposed to her on this very hill you know?" Laguna began without looking over his shoulder. Squall kept to himself as Laguna continued, "Twenty years… It's been twenty years since she's walked into my life. And I…well, I dropped on her doorstep."

Squall stared at him, "…What?"

Laguna looked at him then, showing a goofy grin, "I was stationed in Winhill during my time in the military. Let's just say falling off the cliff side just to save Ellone's toy from 'drowning' wasn't very smart."

The brunette blinked at his father before shaking his head and joked, "She must've been crazy to marry you."

"You know what? I think so too," Laguna laughed, standing up and dusting his pants. He sighed contently and gazed up at the sky. They were quiet before the older man perked up, "Oh yeah! I have something for you."

Squall raised an inquisitive eyebrow as Laguna continued to dig through his pockets, "What is it?"

"Hmm… I know I put it somewhere… Aha! Here it is!" Laguna pulled out a small parcel from his back pocket. Ever so carefully, a picture slipped out and the older man smiled at it before handing it to his son, "Here."

The picture was placed in Squall's hand and the brunette marveled at it. There was Raine, a beautiful woman smiling happily as she hugged a tiny baby in her arms. She was affectionately hugging a baby Squall. Words barely managed to escape him, "This is…"

"Did you know? She refused to let me hold you at first. Said I was too excited and that I'd probably drop you on your head," Laguna laughed softly, his eyes once again fixated on Raine's tombstone. Squall didn't have to think twice to know his father was hiding tears, "Even when she was exhausted from delivering you, she'd still scold me. Raine agreed to a photo even though she said she looked like a mess, but I thought she was the most beautiful person in the room that day."

Squall smiled a little, rubbing his thumb against the picture, _Yeah… She really is beautiful._

He felt Laguna pat down his shoulder and the brunette looked at him. The older man smiled brightly and reminisced, "You're so much like her. I'm glad."

"…Thanks, Dad."

Laguna nodded. He squeezed Squall's shoulder once more before walking back to town, "I'll see you at the hotel."

Squall watched as he disappeared down the hill before turning his attention to the tombstone. He stood in front of it, surprised that he wasn't nervous like every other time he stood there. Kneeling down, Squall looked at the picture before looking at the tombstone again. He didn't know what compelled him to talk, but Squall felt like he just…had to.

"Julia's…taking good care of him. He still talks about you. I guess it's his way of…keeping you alive," Squall explained to no one but the gravestone. He sighed with a scratch of his head. Looking at the cloudless sky, a breeze passed over him before he continued, "…I still wish you were here, but we'll be okay. We… I…"

This was too hard for him. Besides that day Laguna was planning to introduce Julia to the family, Squall had never spoken to his mother's tombstone. It wasn't something he was comfortable doing. However, everyone was doing it. Heck, Rinoa did it once and she had no idea who Raine was!

Looking at the photo again gave Squall some courage and he smiled a little. Touching the tombstone for the first time in his life, Squall whispered the words he's always wanted to say, "…I love you, Mom."

[][][][][][][][]

Rinoa blew out another raspberry as she slumped on the table. She whined, "I'm so bored…!"

Julia giggled and sat beside her daughter in the lobby of the hotel. She placed a cup of hot cocoa beside Rinoa, "Didn't you wander around a little when we got here?"

"I did… The travel around town was _a lot_ longer when I was a kid," Rinoa joked, taking a sip on the hot beverage. Her mouth was ravaged by a sweet taste, "Mmm! This is good!"

"Isn't it? It's a local recipe according to the hotel manager," Julia smiled.

Rinoa nodded enthusiastically and took another sip. While Squall and his family went to visit Raine, Rinoa and her mother decided to stay at the hotel. The raven haired girl thought it was out of courtesy just to respect Laguna and his family's privacy with his deceased wife, so Rinoa thought nothing of it. After all, she and Julia would only stand off to the side as Laguna, Ellone, and _maybe _Squall shared stories about Raine.

She wouldn't admit it, but Rinoa was slightly curious about the mysterious woman herself. She's heard Laguna dive into a monologue about Raine before, but it was mostly a result whenever Squall did something remotely comparative to Raine. That only made the girl that more curious. Just how much of Raine did Squall inherit?

Letting her imagination run, she visualized a woman with Squall's face. Perhaps she also shared Squall's hair color, his blue eyes, and unfortunately, his frown… Thinking about it some more, Rinoa merely imagined Squall in a dress…with a wig…reciting "whatever" in a high-pitched, feminine voice instead of his smooth, masculine one.

_Oh my Hyne! That's insane! _Rinoa couldn't help but laugh out loud at what her imagination conjured up, causing her mother to eye her curiously. Rinoa waved her hand to dismiss the issue, letting her giggles die down. Maybe just for fun, she should dare Squall to dress up like a woman. He'd never go for it, but Rinoa thought it would be hilarious. She sighed and dropped her head on the wooden table.

_This_ is what boredom did to her. Without a working cell phone, Rinoa was basically left with her imagination running wild in places that _shouldn't _be explored.

…Suddenly, she thought about Cloud in a purple dress and a long blonde wig…

Catching her reverie, Julia pulled the shawl around her arms closer to her body, "Are you that dependent on your cell phone dear?"

Rinoa giggled and exaggerated while crossing her arms on the table, "Mom! It's the ageof _technology!_ …So maybe."

Julia teased, "I'm sure Cloud misses you too."

At this, Rinoa couldn't help but fluster. She instinctively looked around, somehow expecting Squall to show up out of nowhere. When there was no sign of the brunette, Rinoa attempted to scold her mother, "Mom! Please! Not here!"

"But you never talk about him anymore," Julia pouted cutely with a hand to her cheek. She was oblivious to Rinoa's protest, "He's such a nice young man. Why doesn't he ever come over anymore, Rinoa?"

_Because that would be bad. _Very _bad with Squall around… _Rinoa wanted to say, but refrained from doing so. She knew her mother was sharp when it came to personal interactions, so if Julia were to witness one of Cloud and Squall's "disagreements," Rinoa wouldn't be surprised if her mother saw more than just the surface with their little feud. Quickly making up an excuse, Rinoa lied, "He's just really busy, Mom. And he's shy…"

"Shy?" Julia questioned. Rinoa panicked before Julia giggled against her hand, "My! He's just like Squall! How cute. They must get along lovely!"

…_No Mom. Not really… _Rinoa wouldn't admit it because she loved her too much, but there were also times Julia would had her head up in the clouds. Did she not remember that those two specific boys brawled on school property? Maybe Julia ignored it or simply thought it was a disagreement gone very bad…

Soon, Ellone – who came back early – emerged from the second level of the hotel with her suitcase in hand. She waltzed over to the mother-daughter pair with a hum and gave them an affectionate hug, "I love you both so much!"

Rinoa returned the hug, but nonetheless, she was confused, "Where are you going, Elle?"

"Deling City. I'm meeting up with a friend from Dollet. I haven't seen her in ages!" Ellone grinned, tucking hair behind her ear.

"Wait what? But you just got here."

"I know, but it was so I could see Raine first before I left," the oldest stepsibling informed. She gave Julia a kiss on the cheek before picking up her luggage.

Although Ellone explained it in the simplest of terms…Rinoa still wasn't getting it. She turned in her seat to look at her stepsister, "But! But! I thought I was sharing a room with you!"

Julia answered for Ellone, "No dear. You'll be sharing a room with Squall."

_A room…with Squall…?_

She immediately shot up out of her seat, "I can't!" Both Ellone and her mother flinched in surprise at Rinoa's reaction. The raven haired girl cursed herself for suddenly looking suspicious, "Um…t-that is…"

"Sweetie what's wrong?" Julia asked in concern, a hand placed over her heart, "You don't want to?"

"…Are you and Squall fighting about something?" Ellone slowly asked in concern.

Rinoa bit the inside of her cheeks to suppress the blush that wanted to spread across her face. She forgot about Ellone… She was there when Squall was attempting to… No, that wasn't Squall; that was some jealous fiend _pretending _to be Squall…

"Rinoa?" Julia called out when her daughter remained quiet.

Before Rinoa could answer, Laguna waltzed in with a smile on his face. It was soon wiped off his still boyish face when he noticed his beloved ladies were cast in a tense atmosphere, "Whoa, did I miss something? …Did Squall beat me in getting here and gloomed up the room?"

Ellone smiled at him and shook her head, "No, not at all Uncle Laguna. He hasn't come back yet."

"But he has too! You're leaving right now?" When Ellone nodded her head, Laguna puffed his cheeks. He walked over to Ellone and enveloped her in a tight hug, "No! Uncle Laguna doesn't want Elle to leave!"

Ellone giggled and hugged him back, cooing, "I'll see you back in Esthar, Uncle Laguna!"

Laguna continued to nuzzle the side of his head against hers teasingly, "It's not the same! My little Elle's growing up too fast! She should stay beside her dear Uncle Laguna!"

"But I _am _grown up!" Ellone continued to laugh and soon afterwards, Julia was smiling and playfully trying to pry Laguna away.

Rinoa was thankful the attention was off her. She sat down at her seat again and nearly slammed her head on the table. She hated being so easy to read. Why didn't she at least master a poker face for situations like this? Her real father had one when he argued a lot; Quistis had one whenever she was proving a point; even Cloud could hide his surprise if someone tried to scare him from behind! However, Rinoa was clearly aware that Squall was the "Master of the Poker Face". Lips always pursed in a thin line, eyes always focused and never backing down… Rinoa was pretty sure that not once during any staring contest with him had he so much as moved a facial muscle.

Stupid Squall.

Why did he have to put her in this situation? Rinoa didn't like putting her guard up around Squall; it made their relationship feel so unnatural. She liked physically touching him and she liked getting in his face without feeling awkward. Basically, she missed just being with Squall.

Rinoa wanted to go back in time to when things were normal. Why did he have to confess to her? Yes, it was selfish wishing she was still unaware of his feelings, but it was unfair of him to do that to her after all these years! She was dating Cloud now and she loved _him,_ not Squall. She would have to help Squall get over his feelings for her. There was no way things like _love-_love was going to work out between them. They were stepsiblings now; not the kids who met in front of his mother's gravestone anymore…

"_I'll make it happen. I'll make you fall in love with me."_

Rinoa silently scoffed with a narrow of her eyes, sarcasm leaking in her whisper, "You're off to a _great _start, Squall…"

"Bye Rinoa!"

The raven haired girl's head snapped up, Ellone waving at her as she opened the door. Her older sister was leaving now! Rinoa stood up from her seat, scrambling over her words, "S-See you, Ellone!"

With one last smile, Ellone finally left, leaving Rinoa and their parents alone in the hotel's lobby area. Rinoa didn't want to start, but she was already panicking inwardly and trying to figure out what to do when nightfall came. She and Squall were going to share a _room._

_First, I'll need to lay out some ground rules. And maybe – for emergencies only – I should carry anti-Squall items. I wonder if I still have some of that perfume he hates… _Rinoa pondered right away.

"Rinoa?" she blinked up at her stepfather who tilted his head at her, "Jules tells me that you didn't want to share a room with Squall. Does it bother you?"

"N-No," Rinoa retorted, raising a hand to stop his line of thinking, "It doesn't bother me at all. Really."

Laguna scratched the side of his head, "You sure? I mean, I only put you two in the same room 'cause I know you guys are close. You're always clinging to each other that I thought sharing a room together wouldn't be a problem."

That claim stung her heart. Rinoa absolutely loved being with Squall! But…with what's happened between them since the beginning of the year… Everything changed. Looking down at the floor and trying to hide her discouragement, Rinoa trailed off, "I…"

"I can book you guys separate rooms," Laguna offered.

Julia added, "You know money's not an issue, sweetie."

They were offering her a room _without _Squall. She should've been jumping at the chance, but…

Looking up, Rinoa smiled at her parents and shook her head, "It's okay. I'll share a room with Squall."

Both parents looked at each other before sharing a knowing glance. They nodded in Rinoa's direction and she was glad the problem was solved. The last thing Rinoa wanted was to cause trouble for them and their happiness. Her parents' happiness was what Rinoa wanted above all. Still… She didn't understand why she was suddenly so hesitant to take a separate room.

"…Alright, I'll come in the Monday I get back from Winhill."

Rinoa's perked up to the sound of Squall's voice. She glanced over at the hotel door and, sure enough, Squall was entering the premises with his cell phone pressed against his ear.

…Wait a minute. His _cell phone?_

Rinoa blinked in confusion. There was no reception in Winhill so how was it that Squall could even use his phone? …And who was he talking to?

Squall nodded his head after a moment of silence, "I'll be there on time… Right. Later." The brunette then pocketed his phone, letting a sigh escape his mouth as he walked towards his family.

Laguna crossed his arms asking, "Did you see Ellone on your way in?"

"Yeah. I saw her off as she got on the bus," he replied while running a hand through his hair. It was then he noticed Rinoa's staring at him, "What?"

"How are you talking to someone on your _cell phone?"_ Rinoa questioned him immediately.

He stared at her before taking a seat at the table, "Because I can."

"Meanie!" Rinoa cried out with a frown, "Tell me how you get reception and I don't!"

Squall rolled his eyes. He rested his head in his palm lamely, answering Rinoa's question, "Do you remember how Dad was asking us if we needed anything before we left for Winhill?" When Rinoa nodded, Squall continued, "I asked him to get me a satellite connection as long as we're here so I could use my phone. He asked you too, but you were too busy making last minute date plans with your _boyfriend._"

Rinoa blushed in realization of that point. She wasn't going to see Cloud for the weekend! Of course she would make last minute plans with him! Narrowing her eyes at Squall, she retorted, "Oh? So I guess you find it funny how I'm cut off from society when you're totally still linked to one?"

She saw his lips twitch before they finally formed a smug smirk, "Honestly? Maybe."

"…Give me your phone!" Rinoa launched herself towards Squall, literally searching his pockets with little to no respect for his personal space.

"What the—! Rinoa!" Squall blurted out, trying to pry the girl away from him and his pockets. He would've asked for help from Rinoa's sudden attack, but Laguna and Julia were too busy laughing at them to really do anything. They must've thought he and Rinoa were play-fighting… Squall really wanted to say something to them; he and Rinoa weren't little kids anymore! He hissed, "Rinoa, get off me!"

"Aha!" she backed away, clutching Squall's phone in her hands. Rinoa dashed behind Julia when Squall suddenly stood up and tried grabbing the phone back. Smiling in victory, Rinoa flipped open Squall's phone, playfully speaking, "Thanks! I'm going to call Cloud now!"

"Do _not _enter his number in my phone. I'm warning you," Squall growled, pointing a menacing finger at his rather troublesome "sister". If Rinoa did connect to Cloud, on _his _phone, Squall was going to burn it before he would bother with a new one.

Rinoa only giggled at his threat and continued pressing buttons on the keypad. Honestly, she did want to call Cloud just to annoy Squall, but first, she was still curious as to whom the brunette was talking to earlier. Perhaps it was Seifer. Maybe he wanted a souvenir from Galbadia. How silly! Looking at Squall's call history, Rinoa read the most recent call he got and froze.

Squall immediately ripped the phone from her fingers and looked at the screen. Instead of a dial screen, his call history was open. Strange. He shrugged to himself, thinking Rinoa was pressing all the wrong buttons, before he pocketed in his phone again. Squall narrowed his eyes at her, "Don't do that again."

"You have her number?" Rinoa questioned in shock.

"Huh?" the brunette blinked, not expecting that reply from her, "Whose number?"

Rinoa frowned in exasperation, "That _girl's _number! Tifa?"

Again, Squall blinked in puzzlement. So what if he had Tifa's number? They were friends…kind of, almost. Why did Rinoa care?

He saw nothing but disappointment on Rinoa's face and that was confusing him greatly. Squall and Tifa exchanged phone numbers because the wine-eyed girl mentioned an open job position at the cafe she worked at. She was going to help Squall get his volunteer hours there and possible a job; was that so bad?

"Who's Tifa?" Julia suddenly piped up curiously. She looked between both Squall and Rinoa utterly oblivious to the tension in the air.

Before Squall could answer, Rinoa spoke for him, "A girl Squall met. She _really _pretty."

"She's just a friend," Squall quickly corrected, his eyes never leaving Rinoa even as she crossed her arms defiantly and looked away. Squall could tell right away that Rinoa's tone was dripping with sarcasm. Why it was there, he wasn't sure, but it wasn't like Rinoa to really act sarcastic.

Laguna slowly grinned, nudging Squall's shoulder, "Ooooh, a girlfriend we don't know about?"

Squall glared at him, "I just said she was a _friend. _Weren't you listening?"

Laguna only chuckled and Julia smiled, "I'm glad you made a new friend, Squall."

"I guess…" Squall answered cautiously. Rinoa still wasn't looking at him! What did he do wrong now? Sighing with what little energy he had left, Squall questioned, "Why are you mad at me _now, _Rinoa?"

"I'm not mad," she answered, though it was blatantly obvious she was.

The brunette was close to saying his infamous curt answer before Julia giggled, "Oh dear. I haven't seen her act so jealous since she was a child."

…_Jealous?_

Rinoa snapped her attention to her mother, crying out with a blush, "I am not!"

"Of course you are," Julia laughed, finding amusement out of her daughter's sudden attitude. The older woman explained as she sat beside her husband, "You and Squall were always together even as kids. He spoiled you so much growing up and he's never left your side, but now there seems to be a new person you weren't aware of and it happens to be a girl."

"S-So?" Rinoa tried acting unfazed by what Julia was telling her, but Squall could read it on her face: she was annoyed, "Squall hangs around Selphie and Quistis too! They're girls and I'm not jealous of them!"

Julia sighed playfully and tilted her head, "I think you're afraid of losing Squall to someone you don't know. Squall's only ever been by your side and now you're feeling like he won't pay attention to you anymore because of Tifa."

To say the least, Squall was completely shocked by the claim Julia was making. Rinoa was jealous…of _Tifa?_

Rinoa went completely crimson and shook her head childishly, "Not true! I am not _jealous, _Mom! I don't care if Squall pays attention to me or not!"

"Oh Angel," Julia cooed, obviously knowing her daughter's personality inside and out. She smiled supportively, "I'm sure that no matter what Squall does, you'll always have a place in his heart. Isn't that right, Squall?"

Squall blinked when the attention was focused on him. How was he to answer? He was still processing the fact that Rinoa was even mad at him. Didn't she want him to find a girlfriend before? Slowly dragging his eyes to Rinoa's face, it caught him off-guard that she was watching him carefully. The frown was still plaster on her face, but there was something else… It was like she was dependent on his answer.

With a small smile and a devilishly idea, he nodded, "Of course. Rinoa's my only girl."

"W-What?" the raven haired girl let out with a flinch.

The brunette continued, placing his hands in his pockets. He gave the impression that he was merely answering the question, but under his mask of indifference, Squall was pouring his feelings out to Rinoa in careful words, "It doesn't matter where you are; I'll always think of you. But you should already know that. I'll never leave your side."

Rinoa continued to blush with a furrow of her eyebrows. Eventually her gaze lingered on the floor and Squall assumed his words got to her. Their parents had been watching the whole exchange, but neither of them thought there was any suspicious intent in his words. That was exactly was he was aiming for. It was a good thing Squall could twist his words around otherwise he wouldn't have been confident to answer the way he did.

"Then again," Squall decided it was time to end his confession with a lighthearted finale, "I sometimes think differently when you become so whiny."

"Jerk!" Rinoa instinctively responded by shooting her head up to glare at him.

Her anger melted when she noticed a ghost of a smile on Squall's face. Rinoa knew more than anything that he had swayed the conversation away from the previous subject. She wasn't acting emotional (she refused to call it "jealousy") anymore; just annoyed, and Laguna and her mother brushed off Squall's answer as any of his typically sarcastic responses. Squall was always her saving grace in times like this…

"Alright you two, enough with the drama!" Laguna grinned, not noticing the irony in his statement. Helping Julia up to her feet he explained, "How about we go get some lunch?"

Julia agreed after clearing her throat, "That's a splendid idea! Squall? Rinoa?"

Squall looked over in Rinoa's direction and she merely stood in place. She quietly took a deep breath before a smile crossed her face, "Okay!"

"Great! I remember a place Raine once showed me! It's got a selection of homemade dishes and…" Laguna began trailing off as he walked out the door arm-in-arm with Julia listening to his rambling.

The brunette rolled his eyes, once again noting that his father brought up Raine's name _again. _It was then he noticed Rinoa brusquely walking past him without a word. He sighed, "So what? You're not going to talk to me anymore?"

Rinoa stopped walking and looked over her shoulder. They remained silent again before she faced forward again and locked her hands behind her back. She spoke calmly and began tiptoeing her way out the door, hinting, "You called me whiny. I'm supposed to be mad at you right now, right?"

A small smile slowly made its way to his face as he walked behind her, "…Right."

[][][][][][][][]

Squall fell face first into his pillow. He was dead tired. Dinner had been a nightmare ever since Laguna touched the selection of fine wines. Squall had warned him about taking wine in large quantities, but did Laguna listen?

"_I can take it! I mean I was married to your mother right?" _he said.

What did marrying Raine have anything to do with his ability – or inability – to hold his liquor? Because Laguna tested the waters, Squall ended up having to drag a babbling Laguna back to the hotel… Well the washroom was the first stop back, but Squall dreaded every moment of it.

Without restraint, Squall scolded him to the point where he resorted to calling his father by his first name. That only made the older man reminiscence about the past. He even mistook Squall for Raine. The brunette was annoyed but tolerant for a short while before Laguna tried _kissing _him. It took both Rinoa and Julia to stop Squall from pummeling Laguna to the ground. The bastard. He got away with kissing Squall's cheek but any closer to his lips and Squall would've…! It _really _didn't help when Laguna started mistaking Rinoa for Julia.

What seemed to make the situation somewhat bearable was how Julia had been so easygoing on the entire ordeal. She didn't seem upset that Laguna was blabbering about Raine and mistaking Squall for her. Instead, Julia was mildly amused and laughed a lot; something Squall wasn't too familiar with. He always assumed Julia only laughed in moderation. Julia mentioned that Laguna used to ramble the same way when they were first introduced. His stepmother assured them that Laguna was a very kind drunk. Squall on the other hand thought he was a moron, but he helped Laguna settled in bed anyways. He trusted Julia would know how to handle the rest since she once again told him she liked taking care of his father.

_He's more like a big baby, _Squall restlessly thought with a loud sigh.

He heard the door open and Squall heard Rinoa entered their shared room, "Oh gosh, I hope Dad will be okay. He started crying."

"Leave him be," Squall lamely answered without removing himself from his pillow, "He's just getting nostalgic."

"Squall," Rinoa's voice took on a near scolding tone, "Can't you be a little more sympathetic to Dad? I mean he's _crying."_

"So?"

"So…" her footsteps were getting closer to the bed, "_Maybe _you should cut your Dad some slack. He's not like this every day you know!"

He rolled his eyes and turned on his back, "Fine."

Rinoa threw her hands up in the air, "Thank you!" She walked to her side of the bed before pausing. Looking over her shoulder, Rinoa hesitated to ask, "Dad won't…remember what he was saying when he's sober right?"

"…You mean how he called you 'Julia' and asked you to play the piano and sing?" Squall raised his eyebrow.

She blushed, "Y-Yeah. I mean…that's…"

"He'll get over it," Squall rolled his eyes before running a hand through his hair. The brunette closed his eyes momentarily to get a peace of mind…but the sound of a keypad being pressed entered his ears. He looked in Rinoa's direction and his eyes widened, "Rinoa!"

Said girl flinched, Squall's cell phone in her hands, "What?"

"How the hell did you get my cell phone?"

"When you weren't looking obviously."

He narrowed his eyes at her. Rinoa was being _impossible _today! Too tired to really do anything, Squall conceded defeat _just _for tonight, "Fine. Call him. Whatever."

"What?" Rinoa asked surprised, ripping her eyes off the phone's screen.

"I said 'Call _him.' _Cloud. I don't care," he huffed before turning over on his bed again and closed his eyes, "You're obviously sick of looking at me since I'm not _him _right? Whatever."

"…Squall…"

"What?"

She gently smacked his forehead with the phone, earning an irritated growl on his part. He turned his head to glare at her before realizing her head was itches above his. His bewildered look didn't go unnoticed and Rinoa smiled, once again tapping his forehead with his phone.

"I don't want your charity," she replied haughtily, pulling away but smiling all the same. Rinoa sighed and turned around, "Besides, Cloud's probably sleeping now considering the time differences and I know he has to work tomorrow…or today."

"…Then why did you?"

Rinoa shrugged, "I dunno. I felt like annoying you? Maybe I was mad because you have reception and I don't. I don't really know. I just…felt like it."

Squall stared dumbfounded at her before deadpanning, "You are random."

"Hey!" she whirled out, hands on her hips, "You have just as many mood swings as I do!"

"Except I don't," he smirked, causing Rinoa to grab her pillow and whack him over the head. Squall chuckled and defended himself with his arms, "Okay already!"

"You're so annoying!" she feigned anger, readying her pillow again before something caught her eye, "Hmm?"

Seeing her attention was elsewhere, Squall asked, "What is it?"

The raven haired girl leaned over him, completely ignoring his personal space, and lifted a photograph to her face, "What's this?"

Squall blinked before he unconsciously smiled, almost forgetting the token Laguna handed him earlier, "It's a picture of my Mom."

Rinoa's eyes widened in surprise. A picture of his mother! She was wondering about her earlier and now there was concrete proof about her existence! Rinoa darted her eyes to his face immediately, "Your mom?"

"Yeah," Squall nodded, shifting so he was sitting side-by-side with Rinoa as they looked at the photo together, "Dad gave it to me when we went to visit her resting place. This is the first time I've actually seen what she looks like."

"Your…first…?" Rinoa slowly worded, somehow feeling like she was intruding in something very personal.

The brunette smiled at her reassuringly that it wasn't a problem. He hadn't known Raine that well so he couldn't dictate the level of privacy concerning Raine's appearance and whatnot. Deciding to look out the window, Squall explained, "Dad… He rarely kept pictures of Mom lying around the house. Every picture of her was locked away, never to be seen…because it hurt."

"Squall…"

"Dad would never show it in front of me or Ellone, but I was already aware of how much he was hurting just remembering Mom's face. I think I was only two when she died," Squall continued.

He could remember the first time he saw Laguna acting somberly when the older man thought no one was around. Laguna's tears, his regrets, and his continued apologies to Raine… Squall had never seen him so broken. It only reinforced the fact that even someone like Laguna couldn't smile all the time.

Sighing, Squall leaned back on his palms, "I never asked about Mom much, but when Dad started coming out with mentions of her here and there, my curiosity got the better of me. I…was starting to forget her face."

"I'm sure Dad understood after a while. You were only a kid back then," Rinoa smiled sympathetically, taking Squall's hand and squeezing it.

Squall nodded, graciously squeezing Rinoa's hand back. He paused for a moment in thought before looking at Rinoa, "Do you know the first thing about Mom he told me about?"

Rinoa thought for a quick second, looking at the picture of Raine as if it held all the answers. A smile slowly formed on her face, "That you look just like her?"

He smirked, "Yeah. Pretty much."

"Well, it's true," Rinoa giggled, handing Squall the photo back, "You're her spitting image…except you're a guy."

"Thanks," Squall rolled his eyes in a sarcastic but playful manner. He looked at the photo before placing it back beside his pillow. He knew he should put it on the dresser or something so it wouldn't get crushed, but he kind of liked having the photo close. It was then he exaggerated, "Now, as much as I like hearing about Mom, Dad just rambles about her a bit too much. I mean he's married to Julia now. You think he'd shut up about it."

"I don't think it's bad remembering the people we love. In fact, I think Dad's made a habit of it because he refrained from showing you anything of Raine until now. I think he felt obligated to let you know more about your mother," Rinoa laughed with a hand to her mouth.

"…If that is the truth, then I pretty much created a babbling idiot," Squall shook his head with a sigh. Rinoa only laughed at his very subtle joke.

She hummed a little bit before asking, "Squall? Is that why you always call my Mom by her first name?"

"Kind of," Squall admitted, looking back at Rinoa, "I respect Julia, and I do…love her to an extent, but…calling her 'Mom'… I just can't—"

Rinoa suddenly pressed a finger to his lips, catching Squall off-guard. She looked at him sternly before softening her expression, "It's okay; I know your reasons why now. And I'm pretty sure Mom knew it too deep down. I was just always curious about why you continued to call Mom by her first name. I thought it was because you were still getting used to having us as family, but then you just kept calling her 'Julia.' I meant to confront you on that several times before, but I kind of chickened out because I was afraid I'd hurt your feelings or something."

"Hurt my feelings?" Squall repeated once Rinoa removed her finger from his lips.

"Yeah," Rinoa blushed, leaning back on her palms and swinging her feet, "Your face never changed so I couldn't tell if I was on good terms with you or not."

Squall snorted, "Rinoa, we were _always _on good terms."

"You know what I mean!" she rolled her eyes.

He couldn't help but smirk, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees. Squall confessed, "There…There was another reason why I couldn't call Julia 'Mom.'"

Rinoa stopped swinging her felt then, curiously looking at the brunette, "What's that?"

"Because of you," Squall shortly replied, gauging her reaction.

Her eyes widened slightly before she looked away. Of course; that should've been obvious to her. Why would Squall want to call Julia "mother" when Rinoa already did? Squall liked her… Such an obvious fact like refusing to address her mother properly… Rinoa should've seen that coming. She wouldn't admit it, but for Squall to be so adamant about his feelings for her was kind of…stupid and admirable at the same time.

She looked back at him and Squall went back to lying down on his bed. Rinoa figured he was giving her space after his little confession. He draped his arm over his face and let out a quiet sigh. Rinoa faced him fully then, unconsciously smiling. He was so tired after everything that's happened with explaining Raine and Laguna's overdrinking… She was sure that this was probably his first time talking so much about his mother with an outsider.

Maybe, just maybe… Rinoa could probably help him with Raine… Squall wanted to know what she was like and Rinoa was just strangely curious about her stepbrother's mother. Oh well. It was a win-win situation and besides, Squall had a right to know what his birthmother was like! He should be talking openly about her instead of keeping her locked up in his heart!

"Hey Squall?"

"Hmm?"

"Tell me more about her," Rinoa smiled down at him, "About Raine."

He removed his arm from his face to stare at her, "More?"

Rinoa nodded eagerly, comfortably lying down beside him on the bed, "Yeah! I hear stuff coming from Dad here and there, but I want to know how _you_ personify her."

Squall thought about it for a moment. He wasn't one to share a lot of things like that, but Squall wanted to talk about Raine too. Ellone and his father were keeping the memory of Raine alive…so why couldn't he? Of course, his memories of Raine were very little, but if he could learn something remotely new about her, it would be worth it.

Looking up at the ceiling, Squall began, "Tell me what Dad's told you. I'll cross-reference it with what Ellone told me."

"Well…" Rinoa lied down on her side, resting her head on one of Squall's pillows, "There was this one time you were scolding Laguna for doing something silly. He whimpered to my Mom that you scolded him exactly like how Raine would."

…_I did? _Squall frowned in thought. No one had ever told him _that. _Just how much of his mother did he end up mirroring? He unconsciously added, "That's just like what Ellone said. She said I glare like Mom…except I do it more."

That caused Rinoa to laugh out loud and she buried her face in his pillow, "Oh my Hyne! I can totally see that!"

"No you can't," Squall glared at her.

However that only caused Rinoa to laugh even harder as she pointed out, "You're glaring right now! I now have a mental picture of what your Mom looks like when she glares! Haha! No more thinking of you in a dress!"

"What?" Squall caught the last bit of her statement in oddity, "You imagined _me _in a dress when you thought my mother?"

Rinoa sheepishly grinned and admitted, "Well I always thought you looked like her – which I am right – but before I saw her picture, I had to use you as a model so…"

They remained silent before Squall quickly moved his hands towards Rinoa's stomach and tickled her.

"SQUALL!" Rinoa bursted out laughing, trying in vain to stop him, "Unfair! Unfair!"

"You imagined me in a _dress. _I'm not standing for that especially since it's coming from _you,"_ Squall smirked evilly and continued his tickling campaign.

He and Rinoa continued their physical banter; completely forgetting the fact that they were supposed to be talking about Raine. But somehow, it didn't matter. It was the topic of Raine that brought them closer together. They both met in front of Raine's grave when they were little and they both had a desire to know what she was like when she was alive.

Raine was the reason Squall could be with Rinoa now.

[][][][][][][][]

Julia woke up with a horribly aching throat. She didn't know why it hurt so much to swallow… Was it something she ate last night at dinner?

"Raine…" she heard Laguna murmur in his sleep. Her husband was happily hugging his pillow like a toy and Julia couldn't help but giggle a little. Smiling down at him, she gently brushed long strands of hair out of his face with her delicate fingers. The action made Laguna smile and he murmured again, "Julia…"

Another giggle escaped her and she kissed his forehead, "Oh, Laguna. What am I going to do with you?"

Once they reached the hotel, it had taken Julia about an hour to calm Laguna down after he started crying. The man was delusional, going on and on about the past and how he wished things could've been different. He started apologizing to Raine, to Squall, and to her. It broke Julia's heart seeing Laguna like that, but she was dedicated to him and stayed awake until he calmed down. She even sang him a lullaby, which helped immensely. Julia loved him so much… She just wanted to see him happy even if he could never let go of Raine.

Julia knew she could never replace that woman.

Sometimes it hurt knowing that Raine still had so much of an impact on Laguna, but maybe that was also why Julia respected her. Julia didn't doubt that if she was given the chance to meet Raine, she would've idolized her. The way Laguna described Raine: calm, independent, and very strong-willed… Julia had wanted those qualities at some point in her life. Someone like that was very much suited to Laguna's needs more than her very own meek, polite personality. And that was another reason why Julia respected Raine. That woman helped turn Laguna into an even better man than when she first met him at the piano bar all those years ago. And they even shared a child together.

Squall… How Julia adored him so.

"…Ju…Julia…?" Laguna's voice slurred as he stirred awake, "Ugh…my head…"

"Shh…" Julia cooed. She cupped his cheek, "Just relax, Laguna. Go back to sleep."

Laguna took her advice and sank back into the pillow. He took her hand and apologized, "Sorry, Jules…about last night."

She smiled, "It's alright, love. Rest."

"Thanks…" he sighed, closing his eyes, "I love you, Julia."

"And I, you," she replied, kissing his forehead and watching as slumber took her husband again. He was so sweet; nothing about Laguna was ever filled with malice. Perhaps that was why she could never really be mad at him.

Squeezing his hand once, Julia quietly stood up and rubbed at her throat. A glass of water would probably help soothe it. Clearing her throat, Julia made to change into something suitable before stepping outside the room. She looked out the hallway window and saw how nice the weather was being. Maybe when Laguna got better, they could take a walk around town.

"Hmm…" she started thinking. Smiling, she spoke to herself as she walked down the short hallway, "Perhaps I should pay my respects to Raine as well."

She would have to go by herself for this one. Julia didn't want to put Laguna through a repeated episode of last night… Or better yet, maybe Squall and Rinoa could keep her company? It was time they should be awake anyways.

Walking to their room, Julia knocked before opening, "Good morning, my darlings…"

Julia couldn't help the surprise that appeared on her face with what awaited her beyond the door.

There, on Squall's bed, were her beloved children sleeping soundly. Squall and Rinoa were undeniably cuddling together. The brunette had one arm folded under his head and rested his chin gently on top of Rinoa's head as his other arm lightly wrapped around her waist. Rinoa, the only person who was actually under the covers, was snuggling against Squall's chest as if he were a pillow. Rinoa seemed so content and Squall didn't look any different. The scene seemed so…serene in a way.

…But what had caused them to sleep like that? Rinoa was making such a big deal about sharing a room with Squall yesterday…

_Maybe it's my imagination, _Julia smiled with a sigh.

She couldn't help but stare a little longer. The way they acted, it was almost like they were children again. They always used to sleep in the same bed, but Julia felt that there was something different about it this time…

Rinoa shifted a little in her sleep, her arms that were bundled against her chest slowly went around Squall's back. She rubbed the side of her face against Squall some more and let a smile grace her face.

Julia laughed quietly. She loved how attached Rinoa was to Squall. The action was quite endearing. It reminded Julia of how she used to be back when—

"…Oh," Julia suddenly gasped, a hand going to her mouth.

Could it be…?


	15. First Come, First Serve

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **I know, I know. I suck. Bah. -hides in a corner- I'm still going on with this don't worry. Just a lot of distractions. But I will thank all of you who kept pushing me to get the next chapter up. So I don't disappoint this summer, I made myself an update schedule and I'm going to try my darnedest to stick to it.

Anyways! This chapter… I know people are expecting Julia's reaction, but unfortunately, I'm putting that off. Hahahaha! I am so evil! XD But don't worry, it'll be _very _apparent in the next batch of chapters!

Now then, my favorite part: Thanks to everyone and anyone who reads this story! I'm glad that it still gets attention even though I have a poor habit of updating. :) Thank you to my reviewers as well! You guys are awesome, awesome people! _aichioluv, Squall. Is. The. Best., Niqsta _(thanks for the grammar tips!), _Ally Todd, Nagia Heartilly, Destiny-N, Spede, angelwings, effect20, gleamfang, onewingedangel4, Funk3y Fr3sh, mwaetht, Ioe, Scribbleness, wishingdreamer5, _and _j-mercuryuk _are but a few who are on the awesome list! |D I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

Remember to R&R!

* * *

_"From now on I will hide  
For a moment my pain  
P__erhaps my memory will  
Draw out in white  
Trace out the love  
What was a drama to me"  
~ Big Bang: Forever with U ft. Park Bom_

[][][][][][][][]

"_Sweetheart?"_

"_Yes, Mom?"_

"_Did you and Squall…sleep well last night?"_

"_Yeah. We were…pretty comfortable. Why?"_

"_Just curious after what you said yesterday."_

"_Oh."_

"…_Rinoa?"_

"_Yes?"_

"…_I love you, Angel."_

"_I…I love you too, Mom."_

Rinoa couldn't get that conversation in Winhill out of her head. The weekend they were in Winhill, her mother was acting strange. Julia never used to worry so much about Rinoa's sleeping arrangements with Squall. Was it because Rinoa created a ruckus about sharing a room with Squall? She reprimanded herself for worrying her mother. That was not what she wanted at all!

_Your problems, Rinoa. _Your _problems; not Mom's! _she told herself. The last thing Rinoa wanted to do was create problems within her family. Then again, Squall was already attempting to create problems…

Suddenly, Rinoa heard barking to her right and she swerved her head to look, seeing the cutest puppies she's ever seen jumping on top of one another and pawing at the glass to touch her. Needless to say, Rinoa's immediate reaction to something so cute kicked in. "…AWWW!"

She began tapping on the glass with her fingers and cooing at the puppies who responded by wagging their cute, little tails. Rinoa couldn't help but squeal in delight, hearing Cloud's voice beside her, "You know, you _can _go inside and actually play with them."

"Oh I know, but if I enter, I'll never come out!" Rinoa explained playfully, watching as Cloud's smile slowly grew. She loved it when his eyes lit up; they had a sort of iridescent glow to them.

Cloud stood by her side to look at the puppies too. They stared at him before barking playfully behind the glass. Rinoa laughed, "Aww, they like you already!"

"How can you even tell?"

"I just can," Rinoa replied. She stood confident. "I'm a dog expert."

Her blond boyfriend joked, "Even though you don't _have_ a dog."

"Hey! I'll get one! Just watch: I'll make it pounce on you and lick your face with no mercy!" Rinoa threatened with a wicked smile. Cloud only chuckled at her, causing her to stand on her toes as a means to intimidate. "You are _asking_ for it, mister!"

"Sorry if I can't take that seriously," Cloud quieted his laughter, looking into her chocolate brown eyes, "I don't think a dog is going to be very effective."

"Why?"Rinoa blinked, tilting her head. "Is it because _you _had a dog before?"

Cloud hummed for a moment, scratching the back of his head. "Not really…but I knew of one."

Her eyes widened in excitement. "What? Really? How come you never told me? What kind of dog was it? I bet it was cute!"

"Calm down, Rinoa," Cloud smiled and began walking down the street holding her hand. "It was a long time ago."

"At least tell me its name!" Rinoa pouted cutely. She teased, "Does it have anything to do with Zack?"

"I didn't even know Zack back then," Cloud rolled his eyes, finally indulging her, "The dog's name… It was Fenrir."

"Isn't that the name of your bike?"

Cloud smirked. "I named my bike after the dog." He looked forward with a nostalgic look and Rinoa had to smile. The way he was now, that was a _good _reminiscing expression. Ever since Tifa Lockhart showed up, the only face Cloud showed when he reminisced were _bad _expressions and Rinoa worried.

Who exactly was Tifa and what did she do to Cloud? Everything about Tifa…Rinoa could read it on Cloud's face how confused he was about her. How could anyone want to hurt Cloud? He was so sweet! Rinoa tried on occasion asking Cloud about the dark haired beauty, but he always answered with the "She's just an old friend" phrase. Cloud was stubbornly set not revealing anything more so Rinoa gave up. Tifa didn't _look _like a bad person, but looks weren't everything right? Rinoa only hoped Squall would be aware of that too…

_I'm thinking about _them_ again, _she inwardly scolded herself and shook her head. Rinoa glanced at Cloud, this time hugging his arm. He looked at her in surprise before smiling and kissed her forehead. Rinoa giggled and nuzzled her face against his arm.

"What's up? You seem a little different," the blond asked with a hint of worry.

She honestly didn't know why he was worried; Rinoa liked cuddling. Ignoring it for the moment, Rinoa teased, "I can't?"

Cloud looked slightly panicked like he said something wrong, "No, not like that. It's just… Nevermind."

"Aww Cloud! Don't be shy," Rinoa giggled. He faintly blushed, causing her to laugh again. Honestly, maybe if Squall acted a little bit like Cloud, he could definitely score himself a girlfriend. But no, he had to pursue someone who _couldn't _be his girlfriend.

Stupid Squall…

He's been pursuing her since they were kids; he's been overprotective of her because he liked her; he always comforted her because it was his only chance to openly show he cared for her. Sure the gestures were nice, but they were for all the wrong reasons! Squall was supposed to be a_ brother_ to her, not a boyfriend in the making.

…So why didn't she want him showering that kind of affection to his would-be girlfriend?

[][][][][][][][]

Squall had to take a deep breath and count to ten just to calm his temper. Closing his eyes, he reminded himself that _this _was a _job. _A poor excuse of a job to _him, _but a job nonetheless and he needed the money. Sucking up his pride, Squall opened his eyes and patiently informed, "If you aren't going to order, shut up and leave."

…Okay, that wasn't so subtle… Whatever.

"Aw come on, Squall!" Irvine voiced through his chuckles. He – along with Selphie and Zell – sat at the booth Squall was currently servicing. The cowboy cleared his throat as a means to settle down the laughter at the table and looked at Squall seriously. The scarred brunette merely raised an eyebrow and waited. Irvine stared a little longer before his mouth twitched into another cheeky grin. "So what are you? A butler—OW!"

Squall couldn't contain his temper anymore when he expertly threw his pen at Irvine's face. He was rather proud of it too when Irvine started rubbing at his forehead and Zell laughing harder than before. Selphie didn't seem to care much, thinking her boyfriend deserved it and joined Zell in his laughter. Squall merely smirked in victory, but it was short-lived when a hand connected to the back of his head like a dog receiving punishment for chewing his master's slippers. Squall instantly knew who it was and glared at the shorter, wine-eyed beauty staring back at him.

Tifa placed her hands on her hips and scolded, "Squall! You don't _throw _things at the patrons!"

"They aren't patrons; they're pests," Squall corrected rather seriously.

"Still, you don't throw things even if they _are _your friends. It doesn't look professional when you're working," Tifa rolled her eyes before sternly looking at Squall again.

He wanted to retort that a job waiting tables wasn't professional no matter how you looked at it but – strangely enough – Squall didn't want to get attacked upside the head again. He would bite his tongue before admitting that Tifa slaps really hard. Then again, she probably did that on purpose…

He muttered under his breath, "Fine…"

"Thank you," Tifa smiled, turning to Irvine and the others.

Selphie couldn't help but hum in amusement as she loudly whispered to Zell, "Seems like there's another 'beast master' here…"

Zell looked at her funny, Irvine adjusting the hat on his head replying, "Selph, I think the term you're looking for is 'lion tamer.'"

Tifa blinked in confusion, but Squall narrowed his eyes at the obvious metaphor about _him_ being a _lion. _Usually when Rinoa was around, she was termed his "tamer." He would willingly throw his pen again. "Are you here to order or to make trouble?"

"Chill, Squall," Zell smirked, turning to Tifa. "Can I get a milkshake please?"

"Okay, Zell," Tifa nodded. She looked at Squall, and instructed, "I'll take this order, but I'm not doing it again, Squall. You need to learn how to hold the floor."

"I'll learn when _distractions _aren't around," Squall deadpanned, ignoring the cries of protest from Irvine and Selphie.

The cowboy huffed and leaned back in his seat. "You should glad it's just _us._ If Seifer was here, he could be doing _a lot_ worse."

…_That's true._

Good thing the hot-tempered blond was on a date with Quistis right now. The brunette didn't want to endure another torturous taunting session. Squall was still regretting the moment he told Seifer that he obtained Tifa's cell phone number. The blond purposely abused this fact every chance he got.

Tifa clapped Squall on the back to get his attention again. She smiled. "C'mon. The least you can do is 'pretend' you're helping me out with the drinks."

Squall nodded and – after shooting dirty glares at his friends – followed after Tifa behind the bar counter. He watched as the wine-eyed beauty quickly put Zell's drink together. She poured milk into a blender followed by vanilla ice cream and some chocolate syrup so quickly, Squall wasn't sure if she was being super quick or he was super slow. Tifa let the blender do its work before she noticed Squall's dumbfounded expression.

She couldn't help but laugh. "It's only a milkshake, Squall."

"…But you're doing it so fast…"

"Well I'm used to it," she blew her bangs out of her face before continuing, "My Dad owns a bar back in Nibelheim and making drinks is pretty natural for me."

Squall hummed a little and smirked. "You're a natural born barmaid then, huh?"

"Guess you can say that," Tifa shrugged.

They heard the shuffling of chairs and turned to see the troublesome trio walking up to the bar counter. Zell searched his pockets for his wallet, pulling out a few gil and smiled sheepishly. "Tifa, make that to go please? We actually have to book it."

"Where are you going?" Tifa asked, pulling out a recyclable plastic cup instead of a glass one.

"We're meeting up with Quisty and Seifer!" Selphie piped up with a smile.

"Good. Leave," Squall deadpanned, Tifa nudging his side. Squall merely rolled his eyes. He could finally work in _peace._

Irvine nodded, ignoring Squall's statement. He then snapped his fingers, pulling out his phone. "Oh yeah! One more thing…"

Squall glanced at him before hearing a camera shutter go off. Blanking out for a moment, Squall soon realized Irvine took a picture of him in his work attire using a camera phone. What was worse was that Tifa was also captured in the shot wearing her own work attire.

Zell backed away slowly, holding his milkshake tightly as Selphie tried to suppress her giggles again. Irvine grinned playfully, dropping a few coins into the tip jar and spoke up, "Present for Seifer."

It only took Squall one second to lunge forward over the counter, but even then, Irvine was quick enough to jump away. The auburn haired cowboy started laughing out loud and ran out the door, Zell and Selphie chasing after him with the former shooting an apologetic look before leaving.

The brunette groaned. He ignored the strange looks people threw him as Tifa patted him on the back. "Lighten up, Squall. How bad could Seifer's teasing be?"

"Annoying doesn't even describe it," Squall ran a hand through his hair. Seifer was going to see him in his work attire and tease him about it later. The brunette couldn't help but frown as he examined his clothes. He wore a black vest over a white dress shirt and a black necktie; crisp black pants and a black server's apron… Squall rarely complained, but today was an exception, "Who goes around wearing _this _kind of thing?"

"Well for starters, employees who work on the floor wear it," Tifa matter-of-factly replied with a witty smile. She was checking things off a notepad while speaking, "Squall, you're gonna have to suck it up; unless of course you _want _to wear the female attire?"

He shot her his deadliest glare. "No, I do not want to wear a _skirt._ I can't believe you're even suggesting that."

Tifa placed her pen behind her ear. "Oh grow up. It's a job. Take it or leave it."

Squall rolled his eyes and crossed his arms while leaning on the counter. At least today was a slow day. He'd rather endure boredom than face another customer.

"So did you tell Rinoa about your new job?" Tifa started conversation with probably the _only_ thing that got Squall talking. She turned towards a chalkboard on the wall and wrote down today's specials.

"No one in my family knows, not even Rinoa… At least, she hasn't found out _yet,"_ Squall answered, indulging Tifa's curiosity.

Tifa grinned teasingly. "Maybe you should invite her over; let her watch how you work."

The brunette narrowed his eyes at her, causing Tifa to laugh. Squall scoffed, pushing himself off the counter, "Why bother? She'd probably come here with Cloud."

That seemed to shut Tifa up immediately. Squall noticed that whenever Cloud was mentioned in the slightest, Tifa would nudge away from conversation. Strangely enough…Cloud had the same reaction when Squall caught Rinoa asking him about Tifa. What happened between Cloud and Tifa was none of Squall's business, but curiosity… No. Squall shouldn't ask. He had enough problems with Rinoa already.

Tifa seemed to regain her countenance as she hummed, although her tone was solemn than before. "I see… Squall? Shouldn't you just let them be? Rinoa and Cloud seem happy together."

"They aren't right for each other," Squall stared at her sternly before darting his eyes away, muttering under his breath, "Hypocrite."

"What?" Tifa furrowed her eyebrows and frowned at Squall. "Exactly _who _are you calling a hypocrite, Leonhart?"

"Who else?" Squall deadpanned, not backing down from his claim, "I know you don't see Cloud much, but I'm not stupid. You think about him whenever his name comes up."

The wine-eyed beauty flinched, hurt flying through her eyes. She looked away and grabbed a few menus. "We have work to do."

For some reason, Squall couldn't let this topic go. This was bugging him and the more he thought about it, the more he was getting frustrated with himself _and _Tifa. "You say they seem happy together, but that's a lie. _You _don't want them to be happy _together."_

"Stop."

"Just tell me the truth, Tifa. I'm not going to hold it against you," Squall continued, ignoring her plight. He stared at her back and claimed, "…You have feelings for Strife."

All he received was silence.

Another minute passed before Tifa finally turning around, clutching the menus tightly to her chest. She was fighting to hold back tears and bit down on her lip. The way she looked only confirmed Squall's deduction. He pitied her because he knew how she felt. Squall whispered, "Why would you do that to yourself?"

"…Because I don't deserve him. I lost my chance with him a long time ago," Tifa whispered back. She sighed and threw the menus back on the counter. Running a hand through her lengthy hair, Tifa leaned her back against the bar counter to address Squall. "If Cloud can be happy again, that's all I can ask for; even if that happiness isn't with me."

Squall frowned. "You can't be serious."

"I'm _dead _serious!" Tifa glared. "I told you didn't I? I broke his heart without considering the consequences. Cloud became broken because of me! I hurt him and I hurt him _bad._ I don't want him to experience pain anymore; I want Cloud to be happy _even_ if that means he finds it with your sister."

"She's not—!" Squall retorted. He couldn't hold this conversation for all to see. Nudging his head, Squall led the way towards the break room. Once they were alone, he paced before locking eyes with Tifa again. "Rinoa isn't my sister and I'll never see her that way."

"So you'd purposely ruin her happiness for your own gain?" Tifa challenged with a scoff, "Squall, she's _happy!_ Why can't you accept that?"

Squall growled, "Because I don't believe that!"

Tifa stared at him, mouth opening and closing a few times before she decided on silence. Squall took this time to compose himself too. Sure, maybe he wanted Rinoa selfishly, but he knew that there was a chance _he _could make her happy if he was given the opportunity. He would make it work.

Maybe that's why he was so frustrated with Tifa. She was in a similar situation as him, but instead of fighting, she was giving up. Squall didn't want to see her give up. If she did, then that meant Squall really didn't have a chance with Rinoa…

"Look I'm sorry. I shouldn't be prying into your business," Squall apologized, "It isn't right for me to force answers out of you."

He felt Tifa touching his upper arm and he hesitated to look at her. When he did, Tifa flashed him a small smile. "I'm sorry too. I guess…there's some truth to what you said. I still—"

"Hey! If you've got time to talk, you've got time to work!" their working manager scolded as she passed by the break room, "There's customers on the floor!"

Tifa smiled apologetically. "Sorry." She slapped her face to regain her motivation and began walking towards the door when Squall took her wrist. She asked curiously, "What is it?"

The brunette thought for a moment, somewhat regretting what he was planning to do. "You need a break. I'll take the floor."

"Squall, whatever's on my mind, I can handle it and work at the same time. Besides, I still have to train you," she gestured with a small giggle. Squall shrugged and merely followed. He honestly thought he could handle everything; it's not like the place was _super_ busy.

Once they were on the floor, Tifa automatically plastered the "barmaid" niche on her face. She was all smiles and Squall had to commend her for being so strong. Maybe she was dealing with her feelings in her own way…

"I want to try that, Cloud!"

…_Hell no, _Squall inwardly groaned. Sucking in a breath, he looked towards the door to spot the "customers." As he thought, it was Rinoa and Cloud who walked through the door. Rinoa hadn't noticed him yet as she cutely hooked her arm around Cloud's and spoke energetically.

Great… Hyne was on Seifer's side today.

"Welcome!" Tifa greeted. Squall blinked at her in puzzlement. What was she doing?

Cloud was the first to notice them. His eyes slightly widened at the sight of Tifa with Squall and the fact that they were working together. The blond managed to hide his emotions behind a small smile and he nodded. "Tifa. I didn't realize you worked here…"

Tifa merely shrugged with a smile, arms behind her back. "You never asked."

The blond nodded again, eyes now landing on Squall. His demeanor instantly changed. "Squall."

"Strife," Squall lamely replied, hands in his pockets.

"Squall!" Rinoa cried out, immediately breaking the incoming tension. Before Squall could even blink, Rinoa ran up to him and threw her arms around him for a tight hug. She ignored the dumbfounded stares of both Cloud and Squall as she blabbered, "Guess what? Me and Cloud went to the pet shop and I saw the _cutest _little puppy ever! We should tell Mom and Dad about her. I want a dog _soo _bad!"

"Um…okay," Squall managed to say. What was with her sudden show of affection?

Cloud, snapping out of his surprise, cleared his throat. He walked up to Rinoa – albeit a little awkwardly – and spoke up, "Rinoa, let's find a table."

"Oh, okay," Rinoa looked back at Squall, her arms still around his middle, and she smiled brightly before giving him a tight squeeze, "Have fun at work!"

"Yeah…" Squall cautiously let out, too puzzled to even return Rinoa's hug. She released him and ran back to Cloud's side and linked her arm around his. That ever present smile never left her face as she went back to chattering nonstop when they sat at a booth in the corner of the café. Squall merely stood in place.

…What the hell was that?

"I thought you didn't tell her you had a job?" Tifa broke through his blank posture, leaning towards him while watching the couple herself. Cloud had opted to sit across Rinoa at the table, his back facing Squall and Tifa.

The brunette had the urge to scratch his head, but refrained from doing so. "I didn't."

"Well, at least she didn't seem upset that you never told her?"

"…I don't know."

Tifa shrugged, smiling reassuringly at him. Pointing to the table, she asked, "Do you want me to take care of it?"

Squall blinked. "Why? I can do it."

"Maybe it's because you're so _freaked out,"_ Tifa snickered and poked Squall's shoulder, "I saw that fearful look in your eye when Rinoa hugged you."

"I wasn't scared," Squall narrowed his eyes, Tifa giggling again. He frowned as Tifa waltzed over to Rinoa's table. The bustier teen greeted them with a smile, immediately pulling out her pad and pen so she could take down Cloud and Rinoa's orders.

The blond didn't seem too nervous as he looked over the menu and started placing down orders. He was friendly enough, but Squall wasn't stupid; Cloud was hiding behind that well-formed mask of his. Rinoa on the other hand… She was clearly uncomfortable with her boyfriend chatting with the wine-eyed beauty. Or perhaps she was uncomfortable with Tifa all around. Squall hadn't forgotten that Rinoa was jealous of her. However, Rinoa's jealousy issue was still a little strange to him.

No matter what anyone thought about her, Rinoa had the right amount of confidence and self-esteem that she didn't really care if other girls were prettier or better at things than she was. Rinoa liked her own person and hated putting on a façade. So why in the _world_was she acting so prissy now? Was it really because of Tifa? If anything, Squall believed they could've been the best of friends. Hell, they could've been _sisters!_

"Excuse me," someone once _again _interrupted his thoughts. Squall forgot to hold back on the glaring and ended up visually scaring two female costumers who had tapped him on the shoulder. The one who touched him nervously smiled as her companion hid behind the her back. "Um…w-we're ready to pay?"

Squall sighed, gesturing his head for the girls to follow. He ignored their incessant babbling about how cool or good-looking he was as they made their way to the cash register. He tallied up the orders and announced in disinterest, "That'll be 550 gil."

The girls immediately paid up and quickly made a beeline for the door while giggling like insane little fangirls. He hoped they wouldn't be back…with a camera… Squall had a feeling they'd come back to stalk him.

"Hey, you did it!" Tifa praised as she walked around the bar counter to enter the workstation, "Looks like you didn't need my help this time, although, you _could _do a little better with your smile."

"Whatever," Squall responded with a roll of his eyes. He decided to watch as Tifa immediately went to work, pulling out a clean container and mixing a few fruits together. Squall eyed her face – which was still in "barmaid" mode – before secretly glancing at the table in the corner.

Rinoa and Cloud were holding hands; Cloud's lips brushing Rinoa's ear as she smiled and giggled. Squall would've gagged if Rinoa hadn't suddenly glanced over. They locked gazes for a split second before Rinoa looked away, pecking Cloud's cheek. The blond blinked in surprise before loosening up and rested his forehead against Rinoa's with slight affection. Rinoa simply reciprocated the action, pretending that Squall wasn't even watching.

To say the least, Squall was starting to feel aggravated in the worst possible way. What the _hell_ was Rinoa doing? Was she _trying _to get him mad? He knew they were _both _looking at each other so why did she pull such an obvious stunt in front of him?

…She was trying to make him jealous wasn't she? Well to her credit…it was _working._

"I'll do it," Squall declared, taking the fruit smoothies out of Tifa's hands.

Tifa stared dumbfounded before changing her expression to a worried one. "What's this all of a sudden?"

"Nothing," Squall answered, "I just wanna say hi."

The wine-eyed beauty frowned suspiciously. "Squall…"

"I'm not changing my mind," he finalized, already walking around the bar counter. Squall saw Tifa roll her eyes in exasperation, but she didn't say anything. He took that as a sign that she gave up on him, but that didn't really matter now did it? He was going to walk up to that table and win the little "game" he was apparently playing with Rinoa.

With smoothies in his hands, Squall began approaching the table in the corner. He recited to himself to act unfazed to any and all attempts Rinoa – and, for the heck of it, Cloud – might pull. Getting closer, he noted that Rinoa's eyes widened in surprise while Cloud's face was still trained to remain indifferent.

"Two fruit smoothies: one _Banana Frenzy_ and a _Tangerine Delight," _Squall explained in monotone even though the words spilling out of his mouth was ridiculous. Hyne forbid he ever use such word combinations in his everyday speech. He placed each drink on the table with ease before looking up at the "patrons." Squall asked, "Need anything else?"

Rinoa meant to whisper to herself, but Squall picked up on what she was saying, "I thought Tifa was our server…"

"She's on a break right now," Squall automatically answered.

Cloud rested his head in one hand, looking at the brunette in disbelief. "You're the only one working right now? Didn't think_ you_ could hold the floor by yourself."

"Cloud!" Rinoa scolded when she noticed Squall's eyes narrowing dangerously, "C'mon. I think it's great that Squall has a job. Now he can buy me whatever I want!"

Squall raised a questioning eyebrow in her direction. "Since when was this established?"

Rinoa tilted her head cutely and smiled sickly sweet. "Just now."

"…Yeah. Not happening."

"Squall!"

"Don't you have work to do?" the blond impatiently asked. He took a sip of his smoothie before raising another point, "Because other than the smoothies, we're good."

The brunette refrained from shooting back a remark. Remembering that he _was _still working and getting paid for his services, he shrugged. Sure there was work to be done, but no one said you _couldn't_ hold a conversation with someone you know; specifically, your little "sister" and her boyfriend. Squall replied as if the he didn't hear the bitterness in Cloud's voice, "I haven't seen Rinoa all day since you're _hogging _her."

"Hey! This really good!" Rinoa cut in, attempting to dissipate the growing tension in the air. The two rivals continued to stare at each other, ignoring Rinoa's attempts when a cell phone went off. Rinoa fidgeted in her seat and played with her straw when neither person seemed to move. "Umm…Cloud? Your phone…"

The blond didn't react right away, but after the third ring, he tore his gaze away from Squall's and dug through his pockets for his phone. Flipping it open, he greeted, "Hello?"

Suddenly the phone was ripped away from his ear when someone shouted on the other line, _"About time y__ou answered your goddamn phone! What the hell is this? You have caller ID don't you? No? Then get it!"_

"Give me a break," Cloud placed the phone back to his ear when he confirmed a moment of silence. He ran a hand through his blonde spikes and retorted with a smug attitude, "It's my day-off."

"_And I'm supposed to care? Answer your phone when I call you!"_

Cloud massaged his forehead with an aggravated sigh. Putting a hand against the mouth piece, Cloud looked at Rinoa apologetically. "Sorry. I got to take this."

Rinoa smiled at him and touched his forearm. She nodded. "I'll be here."

He smiled back and got up from his seat. Cloud shot Squall a warning look before walking towards a more secluded area of the café. Squall glared holes on Cloud's disappearing back, turning his attention to Rinoa now that they were alone. To be honest, he was expecting her to say something right away, but that wasn't happening. Rinoa merely sipped down on her smoothie wordlessly and ignored his presence.

…_What now? _Squall swallowed a nasty growl and instead buried his hands in the pockets of his black apron. "You're quiet. That's weird."

"Why? Do I _have _to speak to you?" Rinoa replied in a haughty tone and played with her straw again. She looked out the window and mumbled under her breath, "I'm not obligated to talk to you all the time."

Squall blinked once before another sigh escaped him. There it was again; Rinoa completely changed personalities. She went from being happy to super happy and now she was angry with him. Running a hand through his hair, Squall shot back sarcastically, "You're right. I should just go back to work."

"Perhaps you should."

"_Tifa_ could use a hand."

Suddenly Rinoa glowered at him and tightened her hold on her cup. She accused, "Why didn't you tell _me_ you had a part-time job?"

The brunette's face remained even and his eyes hid behind a mask of indifference. Squall was pulling out his impenetrable poker face and he didn't particularly care that he was using it. Rinoa hadn't ever been on the receiving end of it, but because of what was going on, he had no choice. Squall wanted to test her; hence the reason why he bothered to bring up Tifa's name.

"Why are you demanding that _now? _You seemed a lot happier for me when Cloud and _Tifa_ were around."

"That's because I was being polite!" Rinoa argued.

Squall argued back, "And that little scene you pulled? Jumping on me? Was that your 'politeness' too?"

"No! That was me acting the part of your little _sister!" _Rinoa automatically answered. She stared at him coldly before turning away in a huff. Rinoa blew bubbles in her smoothie while leaning back in her seat. Squall patiently waited until her eyes were fixed on his again. Rinoa bit down on her straw before speaking up, "What? I thought you were going back to work?"

Her only response was silence. Squall studied her for a moment before suddenly breaking away from his stoic demeanor. It caught Rinoa off-guard and she blinked in confusion. He gave her a small upturn of his lips and replied, "And leave you like this? You know I can't do that."

"H-Huh?" Rinoa blushed in surprise. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "D-Don't try and confuse me. I know for a fact you're not a very nice guy!"

"But you _always _say I'm a nice guy," Squall egged her on.

"No I don't! If I did…I wasn't in my right mind!"

"…This is coming from someone who assumes I'm buying her whatever she wants."

"Meanie!" Rinoa cried out, immediately covering her mouth with her hand.

Squall smirked. Just like when they were kids. Whenever they had an argument and Squall got her to call him a "meanie," it usually signified that he meant her no harm or wanted a truce. "I win."

"No you don't!" Rinoa vehemently shook her head before pointing an accusing finger in his direction. "You _cheated!"_

The brunette rolled his eyes and lowered his head to meet her at eye level and taunted, "I don't cheat, Rinoa. You just suck at this game."

He was prepared to retort her next statement, but lucky for Squall, it didn't come to that. Rinoa merely pouted and crossed her arms. She defiantly looked away and mumbled again, "Meanie…"

Even when she wasn't looking at him anymore, Squall still managed to smile. Yes, the "game" that they were supposedly playing broke down to something childish (again), but maybe it was for the best. Squall would rather ease away the tension between them than have another shouting contest. Besides…he wanted to see her smile today.

Squall pulled one of his hands out of his pockets to mess up her hair, earning a shout of protest on her part. "So I win?"

"Yes!" she tried to withhold a giggle, but failed. Rinoa swatted his hand away and grinned while fixing her hair. "I hate you."

"I was going to tell you," Squall replied about his job, when in reality, he really wouldn't have told her. The brunette reached over the table to grab the menus and tucked them under his arm as Rinoa watched him curiously. He shrugged while loosening his collar. "But – like always – you found out."

"Hmm… Would it be a bad thing if I found out through Selphie?" Rinoa asked with a finger to her chin in a thinking gesture. She noticed Squall tense up considerably and she giggled in victory. "That's right! I saw Selphie and the others running out of the café laughing and decided to come here!"

…_Dammit, _Squall frowned, already reverting to a sour mood. However, before Squall could really curse his luck, Rinoa reached out and squeezed his hand. Squall blinked in confusion and looked down at her.

Rinoa gave him a shy, but encouraging smile. "I'm not mad. At least…not really."

"…You sure?" Squall asked. He purposely let himself adjust their hands so his fingers were entwined with hers.

His action caused Rinoa to flinch in shock and he expected her to pull away immediately. However, she didn't and only returned the squeeze with a very weak one. Rinoa glanced at him, trying to hide a very faint – but very obvious – blush on her face. "Okay fine. I am; which is why I'm going to tell Mom and Dad about your job when I get home later."

"You're _really _going to tell them?" Squall questioned. He was starting to feel a little panicky. If Laguna saw him like this…

Rinoa nodded victoriously. "Yup! I bet Dad would _love _to get a picture of you!"

Squall looked at her in mock horror. Suddenly he deadpanned, "Fine. Then I'm going to tell Julia about what you did when we were fifteen."

"…What did I do when I was—" Rinoa's eyes widened and she stared at Squall. The brunette simply returned the stare…with a smirk. She pointed a finger at him and threatened, "Don't you dare."

"What? Tell Julia that you 'accidentally' got your first hangover during Seifer's 16th birthday?" Squall asked casually. He stayed quiet to build up momentum before stating, "…I will."

"Meanie Squall!"

[][][][][][][][]

Cloud sighed for the umpteenth time as he leaned against the wall, "I got it already. I'll be in on Friday."

"_Don't take that tone with me, Spike!"_ Cloud's manager angrily shouted, forcing Cloud to pull the phone away from his ear again, _"I'm not paying you to play around! You better get yer ass here. Friday. On time. Any mi__nute later and I'll cut your pay in half!"_

The blond rolled his eyes. His manager was always shouting for no good reason. Why did Cloud always have to deal with the hot-headed people? Nodding in reassurance, Cloud concluded, "Understood. I'll see you Friday."

Cloud shut his phone before his manager could retort again. He let a sigh escape his lips as he leaned his head against the back of the wall with eyes closed. Tired. Cloud was dead tired trying to keep everything in his life in an orderly fashion. School, work…relationships; he was finding it difficult to manage his priorities.

"Tough day?"

He opened his eyes and saw Tifa hugging a tray to her chest as she smiled sympathetically at him. It was still unreal seeing her stand before him. It never really surprised him that Tifa would be working in a café; her father ran a pub back in Nibelheim after all.

Tifa… She'd grown so beautifully since he last saw her. Her eyes were still as kind as before and her smile was as sincere as it ever was… Cloud would be lying if he didn't think she was drop-dead gorgeous, but thinking anything more would just replay things he was trying to escape.

"Tifa," Cloud coolly greeted, placing his phone back in his pocket, "Taking a break?"

"Just a small one. I can't leave _everything_ to Squall, but he'll gain more experience right?" Tifa shrugged with a small giggle. She looked at him sincerely. "How are you?"

Cloud replied, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm fine; tired though."

"But you're on a date with Rinoa," Tifa reminded, "I think she'd be upset if she knew you were tired."

"I know. That's why I try not to show that I am," Cloud smiled slightly, glancing back at Tifa.

Awkward silence followed afterwards as they stood in the short, secluded hallway of the café. Tifa cleared her throat, tucking a long strand of hair behind her ear. "…You've changed, Cloud."

He was caught off-guard, but chose not to show his surprise. "How so?"

"You're not as shy as before. You even got yourself a nice girlfriend," Tifa smiled up at him. She attempted to congratulate, "I'm happy for you."

Cloud felt the ends of his lips twitch and he shook his head to stop himself from forming a smile. He glanced at Tifa, staring into her wine colored eyes and replied, "You've changed too, Tifa. The years have been good to you."

He saw her cheeks tint to a light shade of pink and that somehow made him chuckle. Tifa soon joined him by giggling before they settled on another period of silence. It wasn't…unpleasant standing beside her… Cloud actually like it, but he needed to be somewhere else.

Before he could move, Tifa spoke up again, "Cloud? About Rinoa—"

"What about her?"

Tifa looked apprehensive for a moment before continuing, "Rinoa's a good person and I know you'll treat her kindly, but…is she really someone you _want_ to get involved with?"

Cloud frowned, already edging away from the topic. "If this has something to do with Squall, then take it up with him."

"Cloud I'm worried for you," Tifa admitted with a furrow of her eyebrows. She placed a hand over her heart and looked away. "I just don't want to see you get hurt again. I'm sure you know Squall—"

"You should get back to work Tifa," Cloud interrupted again, leaning off the walking and running a hand through his spikes, "I'd hate for you to get into trouble because you're talking to me."

Tifa hastily replied, "But Cloud—"

"Whatever happens between me and Rinoa is no one else's business. I'll deal with the problems; even if that means I have to deal with Squall too," he explained, his usual stoic voice rendering a sharp tone. Cloud put his hands in his pockets and started to walk away. "They're still family, blood or not. Squall and Rinoa both know that, but Squall chooses to ignore that fact. If he doesn't stop wishing for impossible things, he'll end up hurting himself _and _Rinoa."

As the blond walked down the hallway, Tifa mumbled loud enough for him to hear, "I'm sorry, Cloud." He stopped in his tracks and waited for Tifa to continue. "Back in Nibelheim… I shouldn't have blamed you for _that._ I—"

"_I _was the only one who thought there was something…there," Cloud strained to say through his stoicism. He tightened a fist, not wanting to talk about the past. "And because I wanted to prove it, I…" He sighed before turning his head to look at Tifa. She looked so apologetic that it sent guilt to flood through his system. Cloud didn't want her to look at him with sad, pitiful eyes so he forced a small smile on his face. "It's in the past now. You…and me."

And with that, the blond left Tifa alone in the hall. That familiar sting to his heart from a long time ago was returning, but he would quell it. What mattered now was the present; the one he was sharing with Rinoa. However, he believed even that was beginning to slip away…

"Meanie Squall!" Cloud heard Rinoa threaten in a playful nature.

"What? It's only fair that I tell Julia something about you," Squall's voice retorted in a relaxed tone.

Cloud stopped in his tracks, hiding behind the corner to watch Rinoa and Squall interact. His girlfriend was glancing upwards at the brunette with a shocked expression and Squall smirked triumphantly.

"Don't! I'll scratch you to _death _if you ever tell Mom!"

"I'd like to see you try— What? Not now, Rinoa! I'm working!"

Rinoa stood on her toes as she tried to reach for his face, giggling, "Oh hush! You're not even serious about it!"

"I am. You just can't tell," Squall retorted, keeping Rinoa's hands at bay and away from his face.

They were both smiling and acting natural around each other. It should've looked like siblings teasing one another, but there was an obvious interpretation Cloud could see. He wouldn't doubt it if others thought the same thing he was. Squall and Rinoa were acting more like lovers than siblings. Their "play-fighting…" Anyone could see that they were flirting with each other. Cloud knew Squall was being honest with his feelings, but Rinoa… He wasn't sure if she was being honest too or if she was just unconscious of her actions. Either way, they were being _too _friendly with each other and Cloud frowned.

Things took a different direction the day he and Squall had that fight in school. Cloud tried his best to keep Rinoa a healthy distance away from Squall, but his efforts were for naught. Cloud loved Rinoa and he knew she returned his feelings, but her affections were becoming less and less noticeable. The only time she would overly shower him with love was when Squall was around, but even then, she was always glancing at her stepbrother to gauge a reaction.

Cloud was starting to feel insecure, but he believed in Rinoa. She was different from Tifa; she wouldn't abandon him. Rinoa was just the girl for him: kind, caring, endearing, and…different from Tifa…

…Exactly how long were _they_ going to keep up this _charade?_


	16. On the Fence

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **No! I didn't get this up on the weekend! D: -fail- …Monday's pretty close though right? -shot- Okay! I'm sorry. Haha. I ended feeling sick again this morning and was too bummed to get out of bed (I slept the whole day really). I'll try to be tighter with the update. :X Oh! And PS: I uploaded two one-shots containing Laguna (one Dissidia, and one FF8). Check them out if you like! -whispers- And drop a review? ;)

In any case, this is the first chapter that's all from Rinoa's POV (except the last part…you'll see why). I wasn't all that happy with how most of it turned out because I envisioned the execution a _whole _lot better so I apologize in advance if some parts of this chapter is a little boring and vague. OTL And this is _the _longest chapter so far! The first draft? Close to 10K words. LOL I tried my best cutting off some parts, but I dunno. XD

Now onwards! Thanks to everyone who's read the last fifteen chapters! And thank you to my reviewers: _Niqsta, WishingDreamer5, onewingedangel4, aichioluv, Squall. Is. The. Best., gleamfang, j-mercuryuk, Spede, Scribbleness, Funk3y Fr3sh, angelwings _(twice? :D)_, effect20, and Destiny-N! _You guys are awesome and I'm really glad you liked the last chapter! XD You'll probably hate me for going all happy to sad… LOL!

Please enjoy (if you can) and R&R! ^_^

* * *

"_Love seems to change so easily  
In place of our own greed, a painful scar is left  
Gotta let you go"  
~ Park Bom: Don't Cry_

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He was pressuring her in the worst possible way. She wasn't quick enough to keep up with his tempo and – with him breathing down her neck – she couldn't concentrate. Rinoa bit down on her bottom lip in an attempt to hurry her thought process, but how could she? Squall's unnerving stare was so concentrated on her face!

"Ten seconds, Rinoa," he informed her to the ticking of the clock.

"Wait!" Rinoa begged. She began scribbling an answer down on the paper not truly knowing if it was correct or not. Whatever. At least she finally had something down. Sliding it over to Squall on the coffee table, Rinoa waited for the final verdict as her heart loudly thumped against her chest.

Squall quickly looked over the work done on the piece of paper with a keen eye. His knee was drawn up to his chest while resting one arm on top of it, allowing himself to lean his head against a closed palm. He was so quiet, it was driving Rinoa mad.

"…So?" Rinoa squeaked, "How'd I do?"

He looked at her with his deep blue eyes from underneath his lashes and Rinoa couldn't help but feel her heart pumping up a notch. Squall slid the paper back to her while lamely answering, "You were doing well until you wrote down your answer. Seriously Rinoa? The answer can't be -0.35."

Rinoa frowned with a furrow of her eyebrows. Snatching the paper and looking over her answers, she argued back, "Give me a break! Math isn't my forte and _you _were rushing me!"

"If I waited any longer, I'd be wasting my time."

"Mean! You're _so _mean!" Rinoa cried out in indignation. She crumpled a piece of scrap paper and threw it in Squall's direction. The brunette easily leaned to the side to dodge the paper ball, but that only gave Rinoa an opening; allowing herself to poke the spot between Squall's eyes with her index finger. Squall let out a nearly surprised grunt and Rinoa playfully stuck her tongue out with a giggle.

Squall shot her a sneer before it melted into a small smile. He let out a defeated sigh, once again resting his head against his palm in amusement. Rinoa really couldn't help but smile back at him, feeling her body unconsciously moving closer to his when she asked the next question while looking down at her paper, "Okay, so forgetting the fact that I can't answer _that _question, can we move on?"

"You're not going to get anywhere if you keep skipping questions."

Rinoa leaned towards him with a pout, their shoulders lightly brushing against each other. "I'll go back and look at it again!"

The brunette was about to retort when someone loudly cleared their throat. Both Rinoa and Squall simultaneously looked towards the entranceway, finding Julia standing there with her black purse in hand. She was dressed for an evening out, her dark hair tied up in a bun with a few loose strands resting against her shoulder. The red strapless dress – accompanied by Julia's black shawl – was elegant and easy on the eyes; quite classy for a woman of her age.

Rinoa let a bright smile cross her face and complimented, "Mom! You look so beautiful!"

Julia showcased a small smile, a hand going up to her ear to tuck away a stray strand of hair. "Thank you, sweetie. Are you two studying?"

"Yup!" Rinoa glanced at Squall and she could see him looking back with small upturn of his lips. She nodded before focusing her attention back on her mother. "Squall's tutoring me in math. I have an exam on Monday."

"I see," Julia hummed.

The older woman's eyes were beginning to wander between Rinoa and Squall; almost as if she was expecting something else. Rinoa wasn't sure what to make of her mother's actions. To be frank, her mother had this little habit for a while. Whenever the older woman caught Rinoa and Squall interacting with each other – more so when they were both very close – Julia remained tight-lipped and almost…mystified? Rinoa wasn't sure, but it did bother her. What was on her mother's mind?

Deciding to speak up, Rinoa casually asked, "So Dad's taking you out to dinner. Excited?"

Julia snapped out of her thoughts and let a quiet chuckle slip through her lips. She looked away and replied, "Very excited. It's been a while since Laguna and I were able to spend an evening out."

"Can you make sure he doesn't make a fool out of himself?" Squall requested, leaning back on his palms. He huffed exasperatedly, "Knowing him, he'll make trouble for you by trying to show off."

"Oh Squall." Julia giggled, raising a hand to delicately cover her mouth. "That's one of the endearing things I love about your father."

Rinoa could see Squall rolling his eyes and she allowed herself to snigger at him. They both locked eyes with each other and smiled knowingly. Laguna: truly the only person both Squall and Rinoa could poke fun at with no real consequence.

"Angel, are you planning on going out today? With Cloud?" Julia suddenly brought up.

The raven haired girl was completely caught by surprise and she hesitated, "Uh…no, not today. Cloud had work so…"

Julia wore a thoughtful expression on her face. "I see. That's too bad."

"Hey! Are we ready, Jules?" Laguna happily piped up, walking into the room and fixing the cuffs of his dark colored suit. He gave Julia a quick kiss on the cheek before commenting, "You look lovely!"

Julia smiled, patting down on Laguna's jacket with a hand. "As do you, darling."

Rinoa felt the need to coo in adoration, but Squall had the desire to roll his eyes…which he did. "Get a room."

"Squall!" Rinoa shushed, slapping her stepbrother's upper arm. The brunette shot her a glare and Rinoa decided to roll _her _eyes.

"In any case, we'd better head out," Laguna informed with a laugh. He helped Julia put on her coat as he grinned at the teenagers. "You two play nice now!"

"Oh, Laguna, don't encourage them." Julia playfully teased, smiling while locking eyes with her daughter. Rinoa could just feel it; some was bothering her mother. "We'll be back in the evening. If you need anything—"

"We'll call you, but we can take care of ourselves," Squall cut in while running a hand through his brown tresses. Giving Julia a small smile, Squall nodded. "We'll be fine, Julia. I promise."

Rinoa couldn't help but sneak another glance at her mother, watching as the older woman's eyes widened a little before reverting to their understanding, kind demeanor. Julia answered thankfully, "I'm counting on you then…"

Squall nodded once before their parents started making their way to the front door. Rinoa bid them one last farewell before slumping in her spot and leaning her back against the seat of the couch. Noticing Squall's stare, the raven haired girl smiled curiously. "What is it?"

"Are you really not planning to do anything today?"

"Why?" Rinoa shrugged and moved to sit up on the couch. She allowed herself to sink into its spongy back before continuing, "I have to study."

"Rinoa," Squall began while raising an inquisitive eyebrow, "It's Valentine's Day."

"…Your point?"

"I thought you _were _spending it with Cloud today," Squall pointed out as if it was obvious.

"And I thought I just said he was _working," _Rinoa retorted, "Honestly, why is everyone getting on my case about this? I don't spend all of my time with Cloud!"

To say the least, Squall was a little surprised. "You used to spend every minute of the day with him actually."

She kept quiet for a moment before another pout appeared on her face. Looking to her right, Rinoa declared, "Why are we talking about this? I'm supposed to be studying and _you're _supposed to be tutoring me. Just…teach me something!"

Rinoa heard Squall hum a little before moving in his spot. Sighing, he started flipping through the math textbook and searched for questions. "Fine. Hurry and sit down."

_Mr. Pushy… _Rinoa scoffed before doing what was asked of her. She sat down adjacent to Squall again and the brunette started going over an example question. Rinoa was initially listening before her mind drifted.

Did she really used to spend that much time with Cloud? If anything, Rinoa assumed she spent the same amount of time with him every day. Was it that different? Then again…Cloud_ did _ask her earlier that week if she wanted to do something on the weekend. Rinoa, although she really _did _want to spend her time out of the house, couldn't. She needed to ace that silly Math exam of hers otherwise she would have to deal with extra lessons during her lunch hour for two weeks. Cloud seemed a little disappointed and Rinoa couldn't help but feel a little bad for him. But…at least he was making some money for himself by working instead right? That way, they could probably do something a lot more fun later!

"Rinoa."

"Hmm?" She blinked and whirled her attention to Squall…only to find that his face was a _little _too close to hers. Rinoa's eyes widened and she flinched, but for some reason, her body didn't try and move away _that _much like usual (or in her case, like a normal reaction she had to Squall's advances).

They simply stared at each other; Squall's piercing blue eyes looking at her calmly while her soft brown ones nervously tried to match his stare. It was strange. Rinoa _never _felt like running away more than now, but she somehow didn't want to. Squall's gaze was just…entrancing. Which – for the most part – was weird because Rinoa never thought much about Squall's eyes other than they were pretty. Plus, they always used to have staring contests before, but this was kind of…different wasn't it? Very slowly, Rinoa noticed Squall leaning in a little closer to her and she stiffened. What was he was _doing?_

"Were you paying attention to what I was saying?" he whispered lowly, his lips just centimeters from hers. Rinoa felt his brown bangs brushing her skin the moment Squall rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "Rinoa…?"

Now she knew she this was the time to move _as far away as possible, _but Rinoa was immobilized by fear… Could this really be called "fear?"

_RING! RING! RING!_

_That _sound seemed to wake her up. Rinoa regained movement in her body and she immediately raised a hand, pressing it to Squall's chest and pushing him away. She looked down at the ground intently and spoke up, "Your phone."

Squall let out a small sigh and moved away at her request or lack thereof. Digging through his pockets, Squall flipped his phone open and began, albeit somewhat annoyed, "Yeah?"

Rinoa sighed herself, clearing her throat and tucking her hair behind her ears. Squall has _got _to stop doing that to her! Rinoa was confused enough as it was and he wasn't making this _easy. _Sometimes, Rinoa would even think he was just playing with her; the bastard!

"Then why is she working?" Squall's voice cut through her thoughts. Rinoa spared a glance in his direction and saw how his eyebrows furrowed slightly and his posture changed to a tense one. Squall sat up properly, completely involved with his phone call, "And? …Okay, fine. Give me about fifteen minutes. Later."

"Who was that?" Rinoa asked when Squall began to stand up.

"Work. They need me to come in for a few minutes." Squall sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Rinoa hummed. "But…didn't you book off work _specifically _because it was Valentine's Day today?"

"I know, but Tifa's sick."

"What does Tifa have to do with you coming today?" Rinoa couldn't help but ask once Tifa came into the picture.

"I'm the only other person capable enough to work in her stead."

"But you've only been there for two weeks."

"…Rinoa—"

"_What?" _she hissed, crossing her arms and looking away, "I'm only saying! It's your day-off. I don't what them taking advantage of you. And…you're _tutoring_ me."

Squall shook his head and grabbed his jacket. "I know. I'm sorry."

Rinoa remained quiet. What was wrong with her? If she had a job, surely she'd be the same? She knew Squall and Tifa were friends, but just the thought of Squall going to the dark haired beauty's aid so quickly… Rinoa didn't like it. Squall used to only do that for _her._

"…Do you wanna come?"

"Huh?" Rinoa looked at Squall in shock.

He merely stared back and ignored her blank look. "To the café. I'll get you a milkshake or something. Consider it…my apology for bailing out on you."

Rinoa took time to consider this before letting out a sigh. Feigning an uncaring attitude, Rinoa shrugged and stood up to dust her pants. "Fine. I guess that's okay."

"…You sure it's not because of something else?" Squall asked suspiciously.

"Of course not. I want my free milkshake!" Rinoa replied, sticking out her tongue. She dashed past Squall towards the stairs and said, "I'm going to get my jacket. Hold on!"

"Bring your umbrella," Squall added, "I think it's going to rain later."

Rinoa nodded before skipping up the stairs. Rain huh? She hoped it wouldn't. Rinoa didn't want her mother or Laguna's night to get ruined. Then again, they did bring the car with them…so she guessed it was fine? She started humming her mother's song once she turned on the lights to her room and grabbed her light blue sweater jacket resting on the back of her desk chair.

"Oh!" She noticed her cell phone received a new text message. Reaching for the phone resting on her desk, Rinoa opened the message and read it:

"_Do you want to do something when I finish work?"_

It was Cloud. He still wanted to see her today.

She let a smile grace her face before it fell from her lips. Rinoa wanted to, but she was already going somewhere with Squall… And if Cloud knew that, Rinoa didn't doubt that Cloud would feel a little hurt. So there was only one thing for her to do: Tell a white lie.

"_Maybe tomorrow?  
I need to focus on studying for today."_

Rinoa sent the message and held her phone over her heart. Hopefully Cloud wouldn't be too disappointed… This was the only time she was going to lie to him; she swore that to herself.

"Rinoa?" Squall called from the bottom of the staircase.

"Coming!" Rinoa called back, knowing Squall was getting impatient.

[][][][][][][][]

"Hey, Squall!"

"Oh my gosh! I thought you weren't working today!"

The brunette refrained from rolling his eyes, simply shaking his head to get his point across. "I'm only here for a few minutes then I'm gone."

A girl with shoulder length brown hair leaned over the bar counter, resting her head in her hands and smiled. She let out a laugh and replied, "Ha. You really _are _anti-social."

"Please. It's because you girls talk so much that Squall's probably sick of you." A black haired teen grinned while resting his back against the bar counter with his arms crossed. The female brunette scoffed at him and teasingly smacked his arm in protest. Squall's male coworker could only laugh again.

Rinoa placed a hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling since Squall's face looked the opposite of pleased. He took a step forward and got down to business. "Where's Tifa?"

"Right here," the girl in question announced as she walked out of the break room. She wasn't wearing her work attire today, having changed into her casual clothes. Tifa was wearing an unbuttoned, sleeveless black vest over her white midriff tee with the sleeves just reaching her elbows. To complement her look, Tifa wore a pair of black shorts that reached just above her knees and black sneakers. A dry cough escaped her and she groaned, shooting Squall an apologetic look. "Sorry, to call you down here."

"It's fine," Squall answered and began walking up to her.

Rinoa, who was holding the hem of Squall's jacket when they walked in, could feel the brunette slipping out of her hold. Somehow, the feeling of Squall walking away bothered her and she was tempted to take a handful of his jacket just to stop him from going to the dark haired beauty. However, she thought that would've been childish and possibly strange so she – regretfully – let Squall walk away as she stood by the cafe entrance by her lonesome.

Squall didn't seem to notice her reverie, making his walk to Tifa's side and slightly reprimanded, "I can't believe you came to work when you're sick."

"It's just a cold," Tifa retorted, another cough passing into the bend of her elbow. She shook her head before attempting to look up at Squall when she took notice of Rinoa standing by herself. Tifa smiled warmly. "Hey, you brought your sister."

Rinoa couldn't help but flinch and look at the tiled floor. What right did Tifa have to address her like that? _I have a name you know…_

"Rinoa."

The raven haired girl blinked, catching sight of a black object heading her way. Rinoa instinctively shot her hands up to catch what was thrown in the air. She curiously pulled it up to her face and realized it was Squall's bomber jacket. Confused, she shot him a look.

"Hang on to that for me," Squall instructed before heading into the back room with his male coworker attempting to converse with him.

Rinoa stood there dumbfounded before looking down on Squall's jacket again. Shrugging, she wrapped it around her shoulders and put it on; a feeling of delight crossed her face. Squall's jacket was so big!

"Do you want to take a seat while you wait for Squall to finish?" the female brunette asked from the counter with a smile.

"Oh! Sure," Rinoa replied, looking around the café. It wasn't busy today with only a few people around; probably because of the rain outside. Hyne knows how much trouble she and Squall had navigating through the rain to get here while sharing _one _umbrella. Pointing to a booth near the window, Rinoa informed, "I'll just sit over there."

The female brunette nodded, "Sure! I'll let Squall know. You want something to drink?"

"A chocolate milkshake please!" Rinoa grinned, walking to her table after hooking her upside down umbrella on one of the racks. "And put that on Squall's tab. He owes me!"

"Sure thing." The female brunette laughed in amusement, placing Rinoa's order on the queue.

Rinoa couldn't help but giggle too. Squall must have fun working with coworkers like this brunette and that black haired guy. Sliding into the furthest corner of the booth, Rinoa got comfortable. She wasn't expecting Squall to be finished _that _fast. From how she saw him work on occasions she came to visit, Squall wasn't very…coordinated in working on the floor. He happened to get impatient very easily and his skills at the drinks station wasn't very smooth either. She could still remember him attempting to make a cappuccino… Squall wasn't very happy that he created a mess just to get the drink right. Then again, he was one of the best at memorizing orders so maybe that's why the manager still kept him around… Squall was, thankfully, better at keeping tabs and counting money than working with drinks.

A dreamy smile crossed her face before she felt her phone vibrating against her pocket. Jumping at the suddenness of the ring, Rinoa quickly searched for her phone. The caller ID was the first thing she looked out once she found her phone. It was Cloud. Rinoa bit her bottom lip. Was he calling because of her message? He never did reply right away after she told him that she was "studying." Was he mad?

_Don't think like that! _Rinoa scolded herself, _Just pick up the phone and act casual. _Taking a deep breath, Rinoa pressed a button and answered happily, "Hi, Cloud!"

"_Hey," _Cloud's voice echoed in her ear, _"Glad I caught you. I thought you wouldn't pick up."_

"Why wouldn't I?" Rinoa asked, inwardly feeling herself panic.

Cloud chuckled. _"Well, you're studying right?"_

"Oh! Right…"

"_How are you doing on that by the way? Is it getting easier?"_

Rinoa hummed, looking at the ceiling, "A little bit. I'm still having trouble with reading word problems, but I'm learning a way around them."

"_That's good," _Cloud praised and Rinoa could feel him smiling, _"Does it work for you?"_

"Well, Squ—I mean, _Selphie _says that when I practice with _her _method some more, I'll get the hang of it," Rinoa answered, adding a small giggle to the end of her sentence to cover up her mishap. Then again…why did she just _lie _to Cloud? _Again? _She used Selphie as a cover for Squall who was actually tutoring her… Ah! Maybe she just didn't want Cloud to worry about her and Squall being alone together…again.

"_Huh…" _Cloud trailed off, becoming quiet.

Rinoa, wanting to move the conversation along to avoid any awkward pauses, started, "So, um, are you still working, Cloud?"

Cloud didn't answer right away, instead doing so after a few seconds. _"Yeah. My supervisor's swamping me with a few deliveries around the city today."_

"For Valentine's Day, huh?" Rinoa smiled.

"_Pretty much." _He chuckled slightly and Rinoa let out a small breath of relief. Good; he was still fine.

"Well don't work too hard okay? It's raining outside and I'd hate for you to get sick later…"

"_Don't worry, Rin. I know my limits." _Cloud reassured, causing Rinoa to smile again.

Leaning against the table, Rinoa nodded. Maybe she should've spent the day with Cloud… At least she wouldn't be sitting in a booth by herself waiting for Squall to finish whatever task he was doing.

"_So what else are you up to?" _Cloud asked.

Rinoa sighed, resting her head on the table. She thought for a moment before answering, "Nothing much… It's just so gloomy outside."

"_I know the feeling." _Rinoa heard shuffling on the other end of the phone before Cloud's voice spoke up again, _"I really miss you, Rin. Sorry we couldn't do anything today."_

She felt her heart twist in guilt. He shouldn't have to feel sorry for her when she wasn't even at home…

"D-Don't worry about it!" Rinoa replied, sitting back up. "Hmm… Oh! Hey, Cloud? Do you like chocolate?"

"_Chocolate?" _Cloud asked in surprised, _"In small quantities… Why?"_

"How about I bake you some homemade chocolate and give them to you on Monday as a Valentine's Day gift?" Rinoa proposed. Sure she wasn't the _best _baker in the kitchen, but it's the thought that counts right?

Cloud hummed again before letting a chuckle escape him. _"I'd like that."_

Rinoa grinned. "Okay! Then expect some of Rinoa's homemade chocolates on Monday!"

"Squall!" Tifa's voice scolded from the other end of the café. Rinoa couldn't help but look over momentarily, seeing the dark haired beauty placing her hands on her hips as she glared at the brunette in question. "The box of syrup doesn't go there. Move it _here."_

Squall rolled his eyes, holding a medium-sized box to his chest as he retorted, "You seem healthy enough to _give out orders."_

"I have a _cold; _not delirium," Tifa shot back, "I thought you already _knew _where everything goes…"

"…You know what? How about _you _carry the syrup? With your outrageous strength, I'm sure you can lift _ten _boxes—" Squall's recoiled a little when Tifa suddenly jabbed him on the side with two fingers. He narrowed his eyes at her again. "Hyne, Tifa, martial arts aren't allowed on your _coworkers."_

"No one said I couldn't do it on guys who're being _sarcastic," _Tifa replied, threatening to jab him again.

Squall, although calm, slinked back some. Eyeing her carefully, the brunette muttered, "…Whatever."

Rinoa blinked. She should've been amused that Squall was put in his place, but instead she felt a little…protective? It was like…Tifa was picking on him! She shouldn't have to stand for that injustice on her stepbrother right?

"_Rinoa?"_

"Huh?" She looked at her phone, realizing she had pulled it away from her ear during Squall and Tifa's exchange. Rinoa placed the phone against her ear again and apologized, "I'm sorry, Cloud. What?"

"…_I was asking what happened. I heard voices…" _Cloud asked, an underlying tone of suspicion in his voice.

Rinoa shook her head. "I-It's nothing. Squall's…Squall's downstairs talking to…to someone…" Cloud went quiet then and Rinoa's palms started to feel a little sweaty. "…Cloud—"

"_Is _Squall_ tutoring you?"_

"Well…! N-No… Maybe just a little—"

"_I thought Selphie was helping you," _Cloud pointed out.

"S-She is! It's just Squall's home too you know! He's another person I can ask for help. We _are _in the same grade, Cloud," Rinoa retorted, feeling a little uncomfortable with how the conversation was turning out. Exactly what was Cloud's point?

Her boyfriend stayed quiet before interrogating again, _"Rinoa, are you hiding something from me?"_

…How dare _he! _How could Cloud accuse her of anything? Okay, maybe she _was_ telling a little fib, but that didn't mean he had to question _everything _she was doing when he wasn't around!

Rinoa frowned. "No I'm not."

"_Are you sure? You sound like you are…" _Cloud trailed off.

That made her snap, "Oh really? Well are _you _hiding something from _me?"_

"_What? You know I'm not!"_

"Then what of Tifa?" Rinoa bitterly rebuked, looking down at her lap and tightening a fist. She only received silence on his end and Rinoa didn't have to think twice to know her boyfriend just clammed up on the "Tifa" subject again. She scoffed a little, rubbing her forehead. "Cloud, why can't you talk about her?"

"_There's nothing to talk about. She's just a fri—"_

"She is _not _just a _friend!"_ Rinoa almost shouted against her phone. She felt people turning to look at her, but she didn't care. Rinoa continued, "Why are you hiding her from me? You can't trust me with whatever it is you know about her? What _exactly_ is your relationship with her, Cloud?"

Cloud replied, although the answer wasn't what she wanted, _"Rinoa, let's not talk about this right now."_

"Why? So you don't have to _at all?" _Rinoa sarcastically bit back, "You're being so difficult…"

"…_Says the person with a brother complex…"_

Silence.

"…_Rinoa—"_

"Goodbye, Cloud," Rinoa ended before Cloud could finish. She pulled her phone away and slammed it on the table before burying her head in her arms.

What was going on? Did she and Cloud just have a fight? Sure they had little arguments here and there, but this one was different… Rinoa couldn't believe how mad she got at Cloud, but when she started to reflect on what happened, she was mad at _herself._ She was the one who started the whole lying thing… They've been together for months now, but one silly argument was breaking them apart.

_Cloud… _Rinoa bit back tears that threatened to fall. She loved him too much to ever stay mad at him. He was the only person other than Squall who really understood her inside and out. To lose him… Rinoa would never find another Cloud…

Suddenly, someone placed a hand on her shoulder and she flinched, immediately shooting her head up. She was honestly expecting Squall to have come over, but instead it was the subject that started the snowballing effect of her and Cloud's argument: Tifa Lockhart.

"Hey." She smiled as a means of comfort, sliding a chocolate milkshake in front of Rinoa. She pointed to the seat opposite Rinoa. "May I?"

Not finding the words to help her, Rinoa shyly nodded. Tifa allowed herself to sit down and Rinoa took the opportunity to examine her. She really _was _beautiful; a lot prettier than most girls Rinoa knew. Long dark hair, rare colored eyes…assets Rinoa never paid attention to until now. Heck, even her style was sexy without being overly sexy! This was the girl – no, _woman_ – Squall got along with? …How was Rinoa supposed to compete with that?

…Wait, _why _in the world would she need to compete? She already had Squall's attention every day right?

"So…" Tifa began, unaware that Rinoa was staring at her in an observant matter. Rinoa quickly pretended to act natural when Tifa spared her a glance and smiled. …Damn, even her smile was close to perfect! "I couldn't help but notice your phone conversation was a little…stressful. Do you need someone to talk to?"

_Yes, but not you, _Rinoa bitterly thought. Who was Tifa to get into her business? Rinoa hid behind a friendly mask to cover her ugly feelings. The raven haired girl couldn't believe she even held resent towards the woman in front of her when she hardly knew Tifa. "Not really. It's kind of personal…"

"I understand," Tifa spoke with a nod, showing that it was okay. Suddenly, Tifa was squeezing Rinoa's hand and the raven haired girl refrained from pulling away rather violently. "I just hope everything's okay…"

"Yeah…" Rinoa trailed off, wondering if she should slip her hand away and look for Squall. Speaking of her _dear _stepbrother… "Tifa? Where's Squall?"

"Oh! He had to do something in the back room. Nida was being lazy so Squall had to pick up his slack," Tifa informed with a roll of her eyes, thankfully pulling her hand away first.

"Nida?"

"That guy you saw earlier. That was Nida. The one who made the milkshake for you was Xu," Tifa explained, tucking a long strand of hair behind her ear. Rinoa hummed. That explains it then; Rinoa was wondering who those misfits were. She nodded, absorbing the information in her mind. Tifa giggled and asked again, "Feeling better?"

Rinoa was caught off-guard. Thinking about it now, she actually _did _forget about her dilemma with Cloud for a moment. Throwing Tifa a small look, Rinoa replied, "Y-Yeah. Thanks…"

"No problem," Tifa waved a dismissing hand out of courtesy. "Us girls got to stick together right?"

_Yeah…except you and I are from different categories, _Rinoa told herself. She didn't forget who Tifa Lockhart was and _who_ she was connected to. This _femme fatale _had ties to both Rinoa's boyfriend and stepbrother at the same time. Who was she and what made her special to both Cloud and Squall? Rinoa really felt like asking, but she wasn't sure how without sounding aggressive.

Then again…

"Umm…Tifa?"

"Yes?" The dark haired beauty folded her arms on top of the table and nudged, "What is it?"

Rinoa bit her bottom lip. Yes, it was an all-time _low, _but Rinoa needed to know… She casually reached for her phone and played with the strap as she asked, "You and Cloud…A-Are you his ex-girlfriend?"

Tifa's eyes widened considerably by the unexpected question and Rinoa feared that she would clam up the same way Cloud did. She threw up her hands in front of herself, explaining, "I-It's just that you seem to have an impact on Cloud! I'm just a little curious since…C-Cloud doesn't like talking about his past much, but—"

"No I understand," Tifa cut in, nervously looking around. She coughed a little to the side before looking at Rinoa awkwardly. "Um…Cloud and I… I was never his girlfriend."

"…Never? But—"

"We were just…acquaintances…" The dark haired beauty ran a hand through her long hair before hugging herself for warmth. Tifa looked to be fighting with her conscious before continuing, "This is a little strange for me to admit since you're Cloud's girlfriend, but I…I did have feelings for him anyways…"

Rinoa tensed a little. Of course Tifa did; Rinoa would be surprised if she _didn't. _But since the girl just admitted one of Rinoa's worries, did that mean she was here to reclaim Cloud's heart? For some reason, Rinoa wasn't all that fazed. Was she confident Cloud wouldn't leave her for someone he _never _got involved with in the first place? If this was true, then how come Rinoa was still hesitating to get along with Tifa Lockhart?

She decided to think about that later when she asked the next question, placing with the straw of her drink, "Then how come you and Cloud are so…?"

"I…really don't think it's my place to say. Cloud should be telling you this…" Tifa smiled sadly with a sigh. "But, what I can tell you is that…it had a lot to do with Fenrir."

Rinoa froze. _Fenrir?_ Wasn't that Cloud's bike? What did the name of Cloud's bike have to do with _Tifa? _She repeated, keeping the surprise out of her tone, "Fenrir?"

Fenrir was my family's dog," Tifa expanded, presumably ignoring Rinoa's eyebrows shooting up her hairline, "I've had him since I was a child. Cloud and I weren't very close growing up but…Cloud knew Fenrir and grew very attached to him before his move to Midgar. It was when he _came back_ to Nibelheim…that our problems began."

The raven haired girl stayed quiet then. So what ever happened between Cloud and Tifa was because of Fenrir.

Cloud… He named his bike after _Tifa's _dog? What did _that _mean? Did Cloud still have feelings for Tifa? Even that bit of information twisted her heart. Cloud was still holding on to a piece of his past by naming something he loved after something Tifa had loved as well. That small bitter feeling began to well up again, but Rinoa tried to swallow it down.

"I see…" Rinoa said, looking down at her lap, "Well thank you for telling me…"

"Rinoa." Tifa furrowed her eyebrows in concern before whispering, "Please understand. I'm not trying to get in between you and Cloud. I…know how happy you make each other and that's all I could ever want for Cloud…"

Rinoa nodded, being curt with her answer as she wanted to end the conversation already. She didn't need _Tifa _telling her how to take care of _her _boyfriend, thank you very much! "Don't worry about him. I'll make sure he stays happy and all that. He deserves it after all…he's been though."

"Yeah." The dark haired beauty smiled. She joked, "Now, I guess the only other thing is Squall huh? He cares a lot about you too and that clashes with Cloud!"

"D-Don't worry about Squall either!" Rinoa suddenly tensed again. How in the world did they jump from Cloud to Squall? Wait! Was Tifa trying to hint at something? Rinoa pulled Squall's jacket closer to her and cautiously eyed the girl sitting across from her. "He just needs to get used to Cloud; probably get to know him a little better. They're both stubborn that way."

Tifa agreed, "I'll say. Though, I think Squall's a lot more adamant about his stubbornness. He just has that aura around him."

_Oh really? _Rinoa couldn't help but ask a little coldly, "He tells you these things about himself?"

Tifa replied, missing Rinoa's hostile tone, "Not really. I kind of gathered that much from the first night I met him—"

"You met him at night?" Her eyes widened with that newfound knowledge. Squall never told her he met Tifa _after _sundown.

"Yeah…" Tifa shifted in her spot, realizing she just put herself in an uncomfortable position. "The night Squall and Seifer got those scars on their faces, I learned a lot about Squall when he stayed at my place—"

"He stayed at your place?" Rinoa cut in again, not believing what she was hearing. "He stayed at your _place? _I was told he was at Seifer's!" Tifa flinched in shock of Rinoa's growing anger and the raven haired girl couldn't blame her; she _was_ pretty mad. Squall lied to her and spent the night at another girl's house! …He spent the night with a _girl _after his argument with her?

"Oh Rinoa!" Tifa quickly stood up, seeing exactly what Rinoa was thinking. "It's not like that! We never—"

Rinoa wasn't hearing her anymore. Catching a glimpse of Squall stepping out of the back room – glaring at an annoying Nida – Rinoa immediately went to confront him; completely ignoring Tifa calling her back.

Squall noticed her approach and he adjusted his hold on another medium-sized box he was carrying to address her, "Hey. I'm almost done so—"

"You spent the night at Tifa's the day you and Cloud got into that huge brawl? You _slept _at _her _place?"

The brunette looked on flabbergasted and Nida piped up unnecessarily when he overheard, "Whoa! You slept with _Tifa, _Squall? Lucky dog…"

"No!" Squall growled, regaining his bearings before fixating his attention on Rinoa again. "It's not like that—"

"Oh really? Because you know, when I think about it, you healed up pretty good. I don't even remember _Seifer _taking a first aid class so he couldn't have been _that_ wonderful with treating wounds like yours and I doubt you'd _ever_ let him touch you!" Rinoa continued to accuse in a heated tone.

"Rinoa, listen to me—"

"No! _You_ listen!" She didn't understand why she felt so hurt, so…confused. Grabbing her hair, Rinoa felt like slapping Squall silly. She took two steps back while shaking in her spot. "You're a _liar!_ You _never_ had any sort of feelings for me did you?"

"What? Rinoa—!" Squall's eyes widened when the raven haired girl stormed out of the café. "WAIT!"

[][][][][][][][]

Stupid! How could she be so _stupid? _

Rinoa quickly ran down the streets soaking wet. The rain was coming down hard now. She had carried an umbrella on her person when she went to the café with Squall, but in her anger, Rinoa forgot about it. However, she didn't care. She would rather get soaked to the bone than go back and face that…that _hypocrite!_

_Stupid Squall! Dummy! Idiot!_

He only had eyes for her? What a joke! Squall spent the night with _Tifa _the day before he proclaimed that to her! Rinoa could feel tears blurring her vision in the already cold rain and she wasn't sure if they were falling down her cheeks already. Even if they were, her tears were well hidden in the rain. She stepped through puddles, bumped shoulders with passing strangers without so much as an apology, and she even got splashed by speeding vehicles without really getting mad. Today was just shaping out to be a really bad day.

Rinoa could still feel her hot tears rolling down her face while she started walking aimlessly. She vainly wiped her face only to feel even more miserable. But _why _was she feeling so depressed? So what if Squall decided to _sleep _away his problems just because Rinoa rejected him? It shouldn't have mattered to her! Rinoa had Cloud and _he _made her happy! She didn't need Squall! The brunette was just so…so…! There weren't even words that could describe him anymore!

…But still, what about the other aspects of Squall's personality? When he had told her that he wasn't giving up on her, did he mean that or was he living on a guilty conscious and thought he owned her? Well, Rinoa didn't need his charity! Cloud was enough for her. He was sweet, caring, and he _only _ever had eyes for _her! _

Rinoa bit her bottom lip in frustration. She forgot about Tifa though. That woman had ties to both Cloud and Squall and somehow the dark haired beauty was still affecting both of Rinoa's boys. Cloud and Tifa had a still mysterious history and Rinoa was pretty sure they held some degree of affection for each other back then. And Squall… He and Tifa… Rinoa wanted to crumble away to nothingness. Rinoa hated it! She hated thinking that Squall and Tifa spent a night together. Him and her…in a room…doing Hyne knows what…

_Stupid Squall! _Rinoa shouted in her mind. She needed to get away; hide away. Rinoa needed comfort.

Suddenly an idea hit her. Cloud… He was always there for her; he always wanted to make her feel better. But would he answer his phone if she called? That argument was still very fresh wasn't it? No. She needed to take this chance. Cloud was right… She shouldn't have become so attached to Squall after that day. All she ever got from him was confusion and look at the end result: Squall was hurting her.

Rinoa stopped in place to search for her phone. She was so sure she brought it with her…

"H-Here—" She managed to pull out the handheld technology, but Rinoa hadn't realized that a _truck_ was heading her way.

It honked loudly enough to catch her attention, but Rinoa was too shook up to move. The lights of the truck were getting bigger and brighter and she let out a shriek before the sensation of sailing through the air overwhelmed her. Her eyes were screwed shut, but she could feel someone crushing her tightly before hitting the ground. The sound of a zooming vehicle passed by immediately and that signified the truck was long gone. It was then she heard a familiar voice.

"Rinoa! Are you alright?"

Opening her eyes, feeling the rain continually hitting her face, Rinoa saw Squall's worried face drenched with water and mud… Was she already gone?

"S…Squall…?"

Rinoa heard him sigh in relief before gently helping her up and trapping her into a tight hug. Squall muttered against her, "What the hell? Are you trying to scare me?" She simply stayed silent, but Rinoa could definitely feel Squall shaking. He was…that scared for her? Pulling away, Squall gestured to an abandoned underpass. "C'mon. Let's get somewhere dry for now." Again, she didn't speak, simply letting herself get dragged by Squall as he guided her by the wrist.

Once they were under the makeshift dry shelter of the underpass, a nearby streetlamp acting as their only light source although it was dim. Rinoa could see just how soaked Squall was. His hair was dripping at the ends and was matting against his face. His once white shirt was now caked with mud and sticking to his chest with small rivets of water running down his neck. Where was his jacket?

_Ah… _She looked down at her arms, the sleeves of Squall's bomber jacket coming into view. That's right… She was still wearing his jacket. Looking down at her muddied shoes, Rinoa pushed her wet hair to the sides of her face and whispered, "I'm sorry—"

"Do you know how worried I was?" Squall interrupted, turning around to face her. Rinoa's heart literally stopped beating when she saw the look on his face. Anger and anxiety, Squall's eyes were burning with a strong mixture of grey and blue and his mouth was set in a deep frown. Running a hand through his wet hair, Squall growled, mostly out of worry, "What the _hell,_ Rinoa? You stopped in the middle of the road. What were you _thinking?"_

"I was just trying to get my phone…!" Rinoa weakly retorted. She looked away and rested her back against the wall. She was so tired of arguing. Rinoa wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a slight chill from the rain catching up to her. "I…I wanted to call Cloud…"

Squall didn't reply. Instead, Rinoa could hear him pacing and letting out a sigh as they stayed silent. She raised her head a little, seeing Squall's back facing her as he was quietly pondering to himself. Rinoa just burned his dimly lit figure into her mind and questions arose right away. How long had he been out in the rain looking for her? What was going through his mind right now? What if… What if Squall hadn't been there when the truck came? She would've…

Rinoa let out a scared whimper and covered her mouth with both her hands. Squall immediately took notice and turned around to face her again, surprised when he saw the tears running down her face. Out of instinct, Squall was by her side and holding her shoulder to keep her from collapsing on her knees. He spoke softly, "Rinoa, you're okay now. You're safe."

"Why…?" She sobbed, shaking as she covered her face with her hands and the sleeves of his jacket, "Why did you…come for me?"

"You still have to ask?" Squall replied, lifting her chin so she was looking at him. He wiped some of her tears with his thumb and gave her a comforting smile. "Rinoa, no matter where you are, I'll always come for you, remember? I care for you too much to just up and leave you."

Rinoa shook her head, pulling away. "Don't say that…! Don't lie to me anymore! How can you still say that after you—"

"Rinoa," Squall firmly said, taking hold of her hands so she wouldn't hide her face. It took her a moment before she dragged her eyes to meet his willingly. Squall looked at her and steeled himself to continue, _"Nothing _happened between me and Tifa that night. You're right; I should've told you the truth, but I was just so ashamed of myself for what I did to you earlier that day. I saw how you looked at me; bitter and hateful. I couldn't believe _I_ caused you to look like that and I don't ever want you looking like that ever again. You shouldn't wear that kind of expression. Tifa… She just helped me realize that as a _friend."_

"But that still doesn't change the fact that you and Tifa—"

"It's not Tifa I want!" Squall declared, looking her straight in the eye, "It's you! It's _always_ been _you, _Rinoa."

She merely searched his face thoroughly. One too many times she heard that coming from his very mouth and she wanted to find just _one_ trace of a lie to use against him…but there was none. He was sincere about how he felt. Rinoa could practically _feel _what he was feeling just by looking at his eyes. Squall really loved her… There was no way he would throw away that feeling for one night of passion.

Rinoa again broke down into tears, leaning her head back against the cold metal wall. She let the waterworks run without a care, but Squall dutifully wiped them away as best he could. His hands were so warm and kind. Rinoa looked back at his face and gazed at him. Squall returned the look, caressing her cheeks with both hands. She didn't know why, but she leaned into his palms with close of her eyes. She felt so safe with him…and yet it felt different than usual. It was like…Squall had always been there to watch and make her feel safe.

She felt Squall resting his forehead against hers like earlier that evening and her eyes open slightly, just watching how he calmly took in a breath before meeting her eyes again. She didn't want to move… This feeling of having Squall around like _this_ was just…

Suddenly her eyes were fluttering to a close and Rinoa was sure Squall was leaning towards her; she could feel his breath touching the skin of her face. Her palms were resting on his chest and she opened her mouth slightly in anticipation, feeling his hot breath close to her lips.

_Squall…_

And then she gasped, pushing Squall away, but still gripping down on his wet shirt. She lowered her head away from him, breathing almost heavily.

"Rinoa…?" Squall piped up, taking hold of her shoulders again.

She started to shake her head and muttering, "I-I can't. Squall this isn't… I shouldn't. I'm sorry! I can't!"

"Shh…" Squall pulled her to his chest, hugging to console her while rubbing circles on her back. He rested his head on top of hers and quietly hushed her. Rinoa didn't know what else to do but hug him back tightly. Burying her face against his shoulder, her tears started to fall again as she silently sobbed, but it wasn't for the same reason she had earlier.

No.

It was because Rinoa was thinking of _accepting_ a kiss from Squall even though she was _still _with Cloud. And she had made a promise to Tifa to take care of him… How could she want to kiss _Squall _when she was still in love with _Cloud? _She argued with herself that she was just vulnerable tonight because of what happened earlier in the café. There was no way she really wanted to kiss Squall… Right?

[][][][][][][][]

His blank eyes scanned the distance, the rain falling down his face and through his hair. He had to remove his goggles to doubly confirm that what he saw was real…and it was.

Cloud's motorbike just purred in place as he continued to stare at the people hiding from the rain in a closed-off underpass. He parked on the side of the street when he swore he caught a glimpse of Rinoa and his assumption was true. What Cloud wasn't expecting, however, was Squall to be with her.

They… She almost kissed him didn't she?

Cloud felt the rain hitting his face when he looked at the sky. He begged his boss to get off work early so he could make up with Rinoa after their argument over the phone. That hadn't been easy, but after a little bribing, Cloud got his way. He stopped by the flower shop before the rain came down harder, buying a dozen roses as an apology gift and he intended to head out to see Rinoa at her home; his last gesture for something romantic just to appease her.

…But she was here with Squall – both soaking wet – and Rinoa had almost kissed her _stepbrother._

Looking down at the carefully picked roses he was protecting during his ride, he watched as the flowers started to drown under the torrential rain. What was the point of saving them anymore? They were being suffocated just like he was the more he was tied down to the raven haired girl.

…_What am I to you, Rinoa?_


	17. Lies and Fairy Tales

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **-smack- I AM SO SORRY! This was supposed to be out yesterday, but people got in the way! God, I hate my life. D: In any case, I the next chapter! Yay! -slowly runs away- No? Okay, fine. OTL  
WARNING first: This is a _Cloud-centric _chapter, so you people who don't really like Cloud are going to have to bear with me. This is the _only _Cloud-centric chapter in this entire story, so what's that compared to the whole story right? Everything will move back to Squall's POV next chapter, but I thought it was _critical _to do this chapter from Cloud's point of view. You'll see why… :3  
Yeah… I just did an evil kitty smile. LOL Again, you guys might hate me (for this chapter)…but you might love me too! I dunno how you guess react; you're all schizophrenic to me. XD LOL J/K!

Anyways! Thank you again for all you lovely people for reading the story! And thank you to my reviewers: _Niqsta, muffin7, Spede, WishingDreamer5, gleamfang, effect20, nat, Squall. Is. The. Best., Ioe, angelwings, Turk 4 Life, aichioluv, Naya Angel-Wings Heartilly, lynn, Scribbleness, Funk3y Fr3sh, _and _onewingedangel4! _You guys are awesome and deserve cookies! And if you don't like cookies…cake! And if not cake, well…whatever it is you want! XD Thanks so much for the support people!

I hope you get a kick out of this chapter and remember to R&R!  
…Notice how I didn't say "enjoy?" There's a reason for that… LOL

PS: Before I forget, I have a poll on my profile about more Squinoa stories. If you can, check it out please? :) Thanks!

* * *

"_It was all a lie, I didn't know  
I've only come to realize now that I need you  
I'm so sorry but I love you__"  
~ Big Bang: Lies_

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He impatiently tapped the handle bar before letting out a sigh. For being one of the early risers stuck in morning traffic, everything was moving so _slowly._ Cloud let out a quiet, aggravated sigh as he waited for the light to change. There were hardly any vehicles on the road, but all these stoplights… Cloud wasn't one to let things get to him, but he was _beyond _irritated. The instant the light turned green, Cloud immediately sped down the road and ignored the angry honks and shouts of his fellow drivers as he cut through traffic. In fact, they only made him speed up just to spite the other drivers.

He had too many things on his mind for a Monday morning. Work was overbearing, homework was piling up, but most of all, Rinoa's been occupying his mind ever since their…fight. Cloud hadn't talked to her since Saturday when they fought and hadn't _tried _to after…

_Tch…! _Cloud slowed his drive once he let off steam driving so fast on Fenrir. Rinoa. He was _hoping _she would try and contact _him_ sometime on Sunday, but she never did. Not a text, not a phone call, nothing… Were they finally over? Or was she avoiding him because of… Cloud couldn't help but grit his teeth, forcing himself to park on the side of the road. His mind was playing back that one scene on that rainy night. Rinoa and Squall… Stepsiblings and yet they were allowing themselves to be so intimate, so…close. It made him angry just thinking of it! Cloud was mad at both of them: Squall for being a persistent _asshole _and Rinoa for…_allowing _herself to get taken with her _stepbrother! _How could she do this to _him? _Didn't she say she loved him?

…No. Cloud couldn't stay angry at her; it wasn't Rinoa's fault…

It was all _Squall's._

Pestering and pestering. That was all Squall ever did since Cloud started dating Rinoa. Cloud wasn't stupid; he could clearly read the hostility and possessiveness Squall hid behind in his steel blue eyes in regards to Rinoa. Maybe that's why Cloud became impulsive enough to try and lay claim over Rinoa's love the moment he was introduced to Squall. He wanted her attention and affection since day one; ever since he met Rinoa during his start here in Esthar. Rinoa was just… Cloud loved her and she was all he needed right? He didn't want anyone else, but neither did Squall…

Shaking his head, Cloud inhaled deeply before remembering that he still needed to get to the school early. Zack was going to have a fit if he had to set up the training hall by himself. Calming himself and distracting his mind, Cloud started up Fenrir again before spotting someone in the distance.

_Rinoa? _His heart pounded against his ribcage before checking again.

No, it wasn't Rinoa… It was _Tifa._

From what Cloud could see, she was waiting at the bus stop; brushing her hair back and smoothing down her skirt. She looked completely _normal _and yet Cloud couldn't help but stare at her. It was like Tifa was trapped in her own world since she hasn't spotted him yet. Something…seemed to be bothering her too. Cloud was strangely curious, but at the same time, he continued to tell himself that it probably had something to do with Squall. They _had _been getting _chummy_ with each other… Still, something inside him hated seeing her so…conflicted? She was a nice person and he honestly didn't think she deserved to be so troubled; especially considering what happened in their _past. _

Preparing himself, Cloud took a deep breath before slowly driving up to her. Cloud honked his horn, successfully getting the girl's attention. Tifa turned her head and her eyes widened in surprise when she caught sight of the blond. She blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "Cloud…!"

"Hey," he greeted, lifting up his helmet's face shield. Cloud parked in front of the bus stop beside Tifa and addressed, "Heading to school?"

"Yeah." Tifa nodded, brushing back her bangs out of her face. She smiled a little before facing Cloud again, replying, "You must be headed to school too. Why so early?"

"Zack wants me to help him set up the training hall," Cloud scoffed then remembered Tifa didn't know who Zack was. "Er, he's a friend of mine; a university student."

Tifa smiled with a twinkle in her eyes and tilted her head. She giggled and held her schoolbag behind her with a tease, "I see. I didn't know you were making friends with the big boys now, Cloud."

Cloud smirked with a laidback demeanor. "You never asked." That got Tifa to giggle again and Cloud felt quite proud of himself. Noticing the bus was only a stoplight away, Cloud quickly turned to Tifa and offered, "Hey, if you want, I can give you a ride to school."

"Oh! But I couldn't—"

"It's fine," Cloud interrupted immediately, pulling out his extra helmet…the one he usually let Rinoa use when he gave her rides. The helmet was much like his, a full faced helmet, except the color was white with a tinted face shield. Rinoa had insisted on Cloud getting something a little brighter since his fashion sense was exactly like…Squall's. Cloud ignored that fact and tossed Tifa the helmet. "Get on."

She seemed a little hesitant before putting on the white helmet and getting on the bike behind Cloud. Tifa busied herself with getting comfortable, placing her school bag in the nap sack of the bike and adjusting her uniform skirt so it wouldn't fly up in the air during the ride. Cloud however, was busying himself with other things; namely his concentration since he completely forgot that Tifa was…ahem, _bigger _in some areas than Rinoa. Cloud felt like such a moron for having stupid thoughts right now and readily blushed. Dammit! This was the last time he was leaving for school early just because of Zack!

"Cloud?"

"H-Huh?" He snapped to attention and looked over his shoulder, locking gazes with Tifa's wine eyes. They looked so inquisitive and curious. When was the last time he's ever seen her like that?

Tifa tilted her head again and blushed. "Um…This is my first bike ride so…"

He slowly smirked, chuckling under his breath and instructed as he threw up his kickstand and looked forward. "Just hang on to me. I promise you won't fall off."

"Well… Okay…" Tifa replied, although slightly unsure. Cloud caught her faintly blushing before he focused on the road again. He revved his bike once and that caused Tifa to already tighten her hold around his waist and she pressed against his back. He tried _so _hard not to think about of why Tifa was so squishy. She again cut through his…perverted thoughts, "I-I won't get scared right?"

"No. Not at all," Cloud informed, letting out a last minute warning, "Oh, but I do drive fast, so you're going to have to hold on _really _tightly."

"Wha—"

Cloud didn't get her a chance to complete her thought as he sped down the road. He was pretty sure Tifa was shrieking a little since her hold around him was _much _tighter than Rinoa's the first time he drove her on Fenrir. Oh well. He was late as is and Tifa's school was probably in another direction.

…Besides, he was having a little fun scaring the dark haired beauty.

They got to Tifa's school within ten minutes (much to Tifa's relief) and Cloud slowed his driving as they reached the gates of the school. Since Tifa was attending an all-girl school, it wasn't surprising that a lot of the students were shooting them curious glances. They probably all thought Tifa was getting a ride to school from her boyfriend. _That _thought made Cloud smirk a little.

"There," Tifa pointed out, "You can drop me off there."

Cloud nodded, following her directions. Once they reached the curb, Cloud parked his bike to allow Tifa time to get off. She let out a relieved sigh, squeezing Cloud's shoulder as thanks as she swung her leg over the bike. She took off the helmet and shook her head before smoothing down her hair. Cloud smiled behind his mask, getting Tifa's bag of out the nap sack. He handed it to her. "Here. You okay?"

"A suggestion?" Tifa raised a thin eyebrow. "How about you actually _try _to drive within the speed limit? I'm surprised no one's caught you yet."

"Maybe it's because I drive so fast that I _don't," _Cloud joked, earning an eye roll from Tifa. He chuckled, removing his helmet so he could address her properly. He ran a hand through his spikes while leaning forward on his bike. "I'm kidding, Tifa."

She looked at him incredulously for a moment before the ends of her lips curved upward. "I know. I'm surprised you allow people on your bike when you drive like that. Rinoa must get a heart attack each time."

"Yeah…Rinoa…" Cloud suddenly lowered his gaze.

Right. He still had that problem with his girlfriend…if she still was.

Tifa seemed to realize her mistake once she saw the crestfallen look on his face. She looked to the ground for a while, almost unsure of what to voice as she ran her thin fingers down the smooth part of the helmet. Finally, she started to mumble and she looked up to face Cloud, regrettable. "Cloud, I told Rinoa about…about Fenrir."

If this were any other situation, Cloud would've doubled over in surprise and frustration. But…that wasn't the case; at least it could never be anymore. He merely looked back at Tifa evenly, although his grip on the bar handles tightened a little. He replied, "Oh? Was she asking?"

"A little, but I didn't really tell her anything but Fenrir's name. I…I know it wasn't my place to say, but Cloud, I can tell that our past together was really bothering her. You should open up to Rinoa," Tifa persuaded, handing Cloud the white helmet.

He looked down on it before questioning, "Was she at the café you work at on Saturday?"

Tifa seemed to be taken back by the question, but answered anyways although she felt a little suspicious, "Yes she was… I needed Squall's help with something because I was sick and she tagged along with him."

_That explains why she was out then…and why she lied to me, _Cloud thought with a hardened stance.

"Why does that matter though?" Tifa suddenly asked.

Cloud looked at her and the dark haired beauty waited patiently for an answer. Should he tell her what happened? …No, this was still his problem with Rinoa. Besides…Tifa shouldn't be the one to pick up the pieces of the mistakes he made. He shook his head. "It's nothing. I was just curious."

"…You and Rinoa… You were fighting weren't you?"

"Tifa." Cloud turned away with a close of his eyes. "That isn't your problem." Again she stayed silent and all Cloud wanted to do was to leave. With a sigh, the blond turned to face Tifa, gesturing for the helmet still in her hands. "Are you going to give that back?"

He watched her ponder his request, Tifa sliding her fingers down the tinted face shield of the helmet. Cloud was confused about _why _she was even thinking about it, but he dismissed the thought. After another moment, Tifa finally looked back at him and handed him the helmet. "Here…"

Cloud nodded, taking the helmet and putting it in the nap sack. He faced her once more. "Thank—"

His sentence was left incomplete and unspoken when Tifa swooped down and captured his lips with hers. Cloud flinched slightly from the sudden action and his thoughts immediately stopped. There were spectators witnessing what was happening; some of the female students looking on in giddiness and jealousy. They thought they were watching a girlfriend kissing her boyfriend goodbye… How wrong they were.

Tifa's lips were warm and soft. He should've been frozen in shock; maybe even angry with her uninvited action, but…he didn't feel that way. At all. Cloud wasn't given time to make his decision to kiss Tifa back or not when she suddenly pulled away, face flushed a deep shade of crimson. She covered her embarrassment with her hands while shaking her head and taking tiny, clumsy steps back. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I-I don't know—! Oh no… Tifa, you _idiot!"_

He finally showed some reaction, blinking a few times before looking down at the bar handles of his bike. Cloud may not have been blushing, but that didn't mean his heart wasn't beating like a jackhammer. Taking a deep breath, Cloud raised his gaze to look at Tifa who was still reprimanding and scolding herself. His lips twitched in amusement before remembering that what just happened was a _bad _thing.

Dropping his kickstand, Cloud turned his body to face Tifa, taking her smaller hands in his gloved ones and immediately captured her attention. She stared at him once with wide eyes before gazing away and looking sheepish. Tifa bit her bottom lip and Cloud could feel her squeezing his hands by an unconscious action. It was strange… They've been separated for almost three years and yet Cloud could somehow _sense _what it was Tifa was feeling. They remained silent for another passing moment, Cloud soothingly rubbing his leather clad thumbs against the creamy skin of Tifa's hands…

He didn't want to leave–

"…Cloud."

–But reality wasn't kind nor was it sympathetic to him.

Cloud immediately tore his hands away from Tifa's and properly sat down on his bike. He could sense the hurt in her wine colored eyes, but Cloud chose to ignore it for the moment as he placed his helmet back on his head.

_Coward…_

He was running away again.

"…Thank you…for the ride," Tifa barely whispered, the blond noting the dip in her tone.

Cloud remained silent, simply facing forward without moving. Slowly, his eyes traveled towards Tifa in a sideways glance and he could see just how much she wanted to run away too. Something inside him twisted just thinking about it. Neither of them were any different from the people that they were years ago…and he hated it.

Tifa was about to turn on her heel and leave when Cloud spoke up against the purr of his bike, "I never forgot about you and…"

He watched at her, the breeze caressing the long ends of her hair as her back continued to face him. "…The bad memories I gave you?"

"No." Cloud hiked up Fenrir's kickstand and whispered affectionately, "Your smile when we made that promise a long time ago."

The last thing Cloud saw before he zoomed away was Tifa's shocked expression when she tailed him with her eyes when he drove down the street.

What he had told her was true though. Cloud never forgot the brilliant shine to Tifa's eyes when she smiled with a breathtaking air around her. He always wanted to see Tifa like that; he always dreamed about seeing that smile every day. And sadly…Cloud was projecting that kind of illusion on Rinoa.

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He reached the school by the warning bell and Cloud could already imagine getting an earful from Zack later today. Then again…Zack was never the kind of guy to bother with petty things. He'd probably guilt trip Cloud later, but the blond was willing to suffer that. Cloud spent the rest of the morning avoiding Rinoa for the most part. Luckily he didn't have _any _classes with her today, so his feat was partly easy. He didn't want to avoid her; in fact, Cloud _wanted _to see her, but he needed to get his facts (and feelings) in order.

Cloud wasn't sure if they were still dating, Tifa had kissed him earlier in the morning, and he wasn't sure what he could possibly say to her if he saw her. He spotted Rinoa's friends on occasion, but none of them tried to talk to him. They probably found out about the issue between himself and Rinoa. Cloud was a little thankful they were being mindful… Well, except maybe Seifer. He seemed pretty inclined to cause trouble, but that was where Quistis was exceedingly helpful. Cloud would have to thank her later.

"AHA!" Zack threw his arm around Cloud for a headlock when he found him roaming down the hallway during lunch. He ruffled Cloud's hair with his knuckles as he gritted through his teeth, "So you still have the guts to come to school _after _you skip out on setting up the training hall this morning _and _practice at the same time? You have guts, Spiky. You _really _do."

"Zack!" Cloud struggled to get out of his older friend's death grip, but – with Zack being taller and stronger than he was – that attempt was failing _hard. _The blond pushed against Zack's arm while growling, "Quit it! I'm sorry!"

Zack chuckled in a playfully evil way and asked, "Oh are you now? How 'bout you tell me _why _you ditched me this morning, huh?"

"I was busying…giving someone a ride to school…!"

"Then you could've arrived to school early anyways!"

Cloud rolled his eyes before finally prying himself out of Zack's hold. "Not _this _school! _Another _school!"

"Oh…" Zack rubbed his chin before grinning again with a cross of his arms. "Well you could've just said something!"

The blond couldn't help but slap his face with his hands. That was just like Zack; getting all worked up only to show that he was _never _really angry. Cloud was fond of his friend – he really was – but Zack's "happy" could be overbearing sometimes. And that especially applied when Cloud was dealing with one too many problems.

The black haired man hummed before snapping his fingers. "Oh, so that's it! Hey, Cloud? Where's Rin?"

Cloud stiffened. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well because you two are glued to the hip. Er, well except now," Zack explained, slowly realizing something was up. He crossed his arms and looked at Cloud in slight concern. "Did something happen between you two?"

He instinctively looked away. Cloud was actually hoping _Zack _wouldn't ask him that, but what could he do? They were friends. Thinking about how he was going to answer, Cloud faced Zack again and tried to dissuade the Rinoa thing from being a focal point of conversation, "We just need a little time apart…"

Zack hummed, clapping down on Cloud's shoulder. It took a moment for Cloud to lift his gaze again, but when he did, he saw Zack smile sympathetically. "Say no more. I've been there. Hopefully you guys work things out."

Cloud couldn't help but smile. He was grateful for Zack's concern even when the black haired man was unaware of the full gravity of the problem. Zack grinned again before walking past him; probably making his way to his next destination. Before he could truly disappear though, Cloud stopped him. "Hey, Zack? You and Aerith…was there ever a time when you were separated for so long, you almost forgot what was important between the both of you?"

"Well…" Zack started, completely taken by surprise by how wordy Cloud was. He took a moment to think before a meaningful light appeared in his eyes. He grinned up at Cloud again, answering, "You know, Cloud, you _never _forget what you feel for the one you truly love. I'll admit, a lot of girls come and go, but Aerith is one of a kind; for me anyways. Do you feel the same way with Rinoa?"

He took a moment to think before looking back at Zack again. He smirked lopsidedly. "I think…I have an idea."

Zack blinked before letting out a laugh. Shaking his head, he continued walking down the hallway, throwing over his shoulder, "Always the cryptic one. Oh well. Good luck, Cloud."

Cloud merely nodded, watching Zack disappear around the corner. He stood there by himself for a good minute before sighing. He still didn't plan on seeing Rinoa just yet, but he _did _have a piano lesson with her after school… That would be the best time to confront her about everything. However, as he made his way down the hall, he caught sight of Rinoa's raven hair somewhere on the rooftop. Cloud stopped in his step to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Being on the third floor of the school, it wasn't hard seeing people on the rooftop of the adjacent school building. Sure enough, Cloud did see Rinoa…with Squall.

He tightened a fist and his blood boiled just watching them. Cloud had half a mind to storm up the rooftops to separate the two, but his curiosity of what would happen between the stepsiblings restrained him from moving. Instead, he just watched their interaction.

Rinoa was standing side by side with Squall as they leaned against the rail. Squall was saying something as he leaned with his back against the rail, hands in his pockets. Rinoa merely listened before she abruptly stood straight and glared at Squall. She appeared to be yelling at him then while jabbing her finger at Squall's chest, but the brunet didn't look fazed at all. He muttered something to the side and Rinoa threw her hands up in the air before turning around and stomping towards the door. Squall didn't miss a beat and quickly walked up to her, grabbing her wrist. Rinoa turned to face him with a frown, but Squall immediately trapped her in an embrace. A moment later, Rinoa's arms slowly went around Squall and she hugged him back.

Cloud immediately ripped his eyes from the sight. He felt his heart tighten in agitation before he began his stride again. That sight… It was only proof that everything had to stop.

[][][][][][][][]

His fingers glided across the keys as he played the most familiar tune to him. He heard it all the time back in Nibelheim when the girl – who lived next door to him – played it during her own piano lessons. Cloud had always kept the song close to his heart…which was probably the reason why he bothered to let himself take piano lessons in the first place. He watched his fingering as when he got to the difficult parts and frowned when he made mistakes along the way. He still needed practice.

Sighing, Cloud pushed his reading glasses up the bridge of his nose when they started falling down. Pausing, he decided to flip through the music sheets before shuffling them in his hands. Cloud didn't exactly know what to do with his time until Rinoa got here. He didn't want to think about anything because that would've caused him to leave the room in hopes of _not _seeing Rinoa. He wasn't going to run away anymore…

Everything between him and Rinoa was going to be set _straight._

"Oh…!"

Cloud perked up to the sound of Rinoa's voice, turning his head to spot his still-or-maybe-not girlfriend staring at him with a surprised expression. One of Rinoa's hands was at her mouth as her schoolbag occupyed her other one. Emotions ranging from confusion to happiness flashed across her face before she settled with a smile.

Slowly walking up to him, she nervously looked at the ground and tucked some of her hair behind her left ear. "I…I didn't think you were coming…"

"Why wouldn't I? I'm obligated to attend these sessions with you right?" He forced himself to smile a little before placing the music sheets back on the rack of the piano. Cloud shifted down the piano bench to make room for Rinoa to sit. When she hesitated to move, Cloud looked up at her and nudged, "Are you sitting?"

She flinched and nodded. Rinoa placed her schoolbag at the foot of the bench before sitting down. Nervously playing with her hands, Rinoa shot Cloud a few confused glances before staring at her lap. Cloud noticed her posture was tight and completely bewildered. He refrained from saying anything for fear of pressuring her so he stayed quiet, moving his sky blue eyes towards the piano keys as he waited patiently for her to get comfortable around him again.

"…I…Cloud about what happened on Saturday…" Rinoa began, sucking in a deep breath before looking at him apologetically, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry into your life again. That was wrong of me."

Again, Cloud remained silent. He merely nodded and remained stoic as Rinoa continued to watch him solemnly. Perhaps she was expecting him to say something back; to tell her that it was fine, but to be completely and fairly honest, it wasn't. Rinoa _lied _to him. He wasn't going to make things _that _easy for her…

Rinoa sighed, facing forward and continuing sadly, "But…um… That's not all I have to be sorry for… I—"

"I know you were at the café, Rinoa," Cloud cut in a little too sharply than he intended for. He closed his eyes as he let a small sigh escape his lips before glancing at Rinoa. She looked down again in shame and Cloud couldn't help but feel for her. Awkward silence lingered between them before he spoke up in barely a whisper, "I know you were there…"

"I'm sorry, Cloud," Rinoa apologized again, curling her hands into fists, "I didn't mean to lie to you. I just… Well, honestly I don't know why I lied to you… I'm sorry…"

Cloud wanted to laugh sarcastically. She didn't know _why _she lied to him? Was that a joke? Either she was playing dumb with him or Rinoa was truly oblivious. Hell, it only took Cloud two damn seconds to know Squall was going to be trouble the moment they met. Telling himself that most of this wasn't_ only_ Rinoa's fault, Cloud took in even breaths and nodded.

He pressed down on one of the piano keys. "It's alright. I'm a little upset, but… Well, it's in the past now."

"Cloud…"

"Did you talk to Tifa?" He saw her visibly freeze and he continued, his voice guarded in monotone, "I gave her a ride to school this morning."

Hurt flashed through her eyes and Rinoa darted her chocolate orbs to the side as she bit her bottom lip. He could see how hard she was trying to keep the tears from falling out of her eyes. " Yeah… She didn't tell me much about anything except Fenrir… I didn't realize that she was Tifa's dog, Cloud…"

"Yeah well, there were a lot of things I didn't tell you about my past." Cloud sighed with a bite, leaning forward to rest his head against the top of the upright-styled piano. "Maybe if I did, you wouldn't have resorted to that…"

"No! Cloud, it was my fault!" Rinoa retorted and pointed to herself with a furrow of her eyebrows. "Cloud, I was being nosy again! I know that's probably one of my bad traits so you shouldn't have to feel guilty about anything! It was my fault; you're not to blame! That's why I'm apologizing. I know you're not in the wrong for _anything."_

Cloud's lips twitched. If only Rinoa knew _he _wasn't so innocent. After all, he shared a kiss with Tifa regardless of whether he returned it or not. No one was ever truly innocent. Looking at her again, they merely stared at each other. Cloud searched her face as it contorted with determination and he knew she was being serious with what she was saying. Her determination… That was something she and Tifa shared by a long shot.

Sitting properly again, Cloud tested, "If that's true, can you be honest with me?" Rinoa blinked in confusion and slowly gave him an uncertain nod of her head. Cloud interrogated, "During lunch, I saw you on the roof with Squall. Mind telling me what _that _was about?"

Rinoa's eyes widened and she quickly looked down. Cloud patiently waited and continued to stare at her. If she was going to be sorry about anything, Cloud wanted to know at least half of the truth about something coming from Rinoa. He felt slightly bad for putting her on the spot, but that was _twice _Rinoa was doing something a girlfriend shouldn't do. Maybe he was purely jealous and being a possessive jerk, but she was stepping on his feelings. How else was he suppose to react? Be cool with it and let it slide? No. The world wasn't that pretty and Rinoa had to see that.

"Well?" he asked after a few minutes passed by.

"T…That…" Rinoa stuttered. Her face contorted into a pained expression before her shoulders visibly slumped. Running a hand through her hair, Rinoa sighed in defeat before shyly locking her eyes with Cloud's questioning ones. "We were…talking about you."

"…Hmph—"

"It's not like that!" Rinoa loudly interrupted. She stood up from her seat and surprised Cloud with her shaking figure. Rinoa's eyes shimmered with wetness, but she refused to cry. "Squall he was… He was actually trying to comfort me about you. After what happened on Saturday with you on the phone, I didn't know who else to turn to… You never called and I thought you were still mad at me when I didn't see you at all today! I was depressed so Squall pulled me to the side at lunch to give me a pep talk!"

"You honestly think I'm going to believe BS like that?" Cloud incredulously asked. Squall giving _Rinoa _a "pep talk" about her relationship with _him? _What a laugh!

"It's true!" Rinoa cried back, a single tear trailing down her face, "He may be like any other guy to _you,_ Cloud, but Squall is _still _my family and he cares about me like such! I don't know what the hell is up with the both of you in seeing me as some _prize _to be won, but I sure as hell know when Squall is truly looking out for my feelings! He was comforting me and if you can't see it like that then…! T-Then…!"

She choked out a sob and turned away. Cloud tightened a fist at his side and bit the inside of his cheek. This was killing him as much as it was her. Maybe he was crossing a line somewhere that did show Squall was acting like the brother he should be, but Cloud just couldn't see it that way. Squall was a guy with _feelings _for Rinoa. Of course any acts of intimacy between Squall and Rinoa would cause Cloud to feel innate levels of jealousy.

…But Rinoa's happiness _should _be above everything else if _he_ loved her…

Guiltily, Cloud removed his glasses to rub his eyes. Turning his attention to Rinoa, he reached for her hand as a silent plea for attention. Rinoa heaved a breath before worriedly turning to face him and Cloud placed his other hand over Rinoa's. He let out, "You're right. I'm sorry. I really am being a jealous fiend and you deserve better. If you say Squall was cheering you up then I guess…he was cheering you up."

After the words left his mouth, Rinoa immediately threw her arms around Cloud's neck and hugged him tightly. To say the blond was astounded was clearly underestimating what he was feeling right now. He never expected Rinoa to _hug _him after what happened. In fact, Cloud ruled out any possibility of physical contact between each other for today. Rinoa's shaking, however, brought Cloud back to reality and his arms were slowly wrapping around her and he hugged her; the sudden realization of how much he missed being in contact with her hitting him hard.

"Rinoa, I'm sorry," Cloud whispered as she buried her face against the crook of his neck. She was…making this very hard for him.

"I'm sorry too… I love you, Cloud…" Rinoa murmured against him and Cloud screwed his eyes shut tightly. Really. She was making this _very _hard for him. Rinoa slowly pulled away, giving Cloud a sheepish smile as she rubbed at her eyes. "I guess… You and I are just prone to these kinds of things, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Cloud shortly responded, smiling back. Another moment of silent passed them by before Cloud reverted his attention to the piano. He cleared his throat and tried to start another topic, "Anyways, we should try and do a little bit of practice right?"

Rinoa giggled a little. "Right. You seem to be getting better though."

Cloud smirked. "Oh really?"

The raven haired girl nodded, scooting closer to Cloud. "Yeah. You were practicing before I came in right?"

"Just a little," Cloud couldn't help but dart his eyes away in embarrassment as he spoke, "I didn't want to seem rusty or…whatever."

Rinoa only giggled again before she suddenly sat up straight. Cloud looked at her in confusion and Rinoa could only smile brightly at him. She lifted up one finger as an indication to give her a moment and turned to get something in her schoolbag. Cloud was a little curious about her actions and tried to see what she was doing until she turned back around, holding a bunch of chocolates in a plastic wrapped bag. Cloud stared at it before looking at Rinoa, hoping his face was conveying the confusion he felt.

She rolled her eyes at him before explaining with a tease, "Valentine's chocolate. I promised to make you some for today… Remember?"

His eyes widened and he stared at her again. He completely forgot about the chocolates. She…She still made them even though they were…and she was…

Cloud looked down at his lap. "Rinoa…"

"It's fine!" She dismissed happily. Rinoa placed the chocolates on top of the piano and blushed. She decided to start her tutoring, "A-Anyways, what did I teach you last week…? Oh yes!"

…He was choking now; he couldn't breathe. Rinoa was…trying so hard and he was overwhelmed with her feelings of loyalty. But…it was all wrong.

Cloud tightened a fist again, looking over at Rinoa as she was completely involved with her lesson. He felt for her; he really did. However, _he _needed to put a stop to this. He needed to put a stop to _both _of them.

"…and that's what you do when you…" Rinoa had turned to face him – all smiles – when she found him leaning towards her face.

Cloud caught a glimpse of her surprised expression before he finally kissed her. It only took a second before Rinoa returned the affection and Cloud slowly cupped her cheek with one hand as his other went around her waist, bringing her closer. He pulled away slowly before kissing Rinoa again and this time, he could feel her hands against his chest and clutching at his shirt in confusion. He knew exactly what she was feeling and that was apprehension.

There were three rules Cloud followed whenever he kissed Rinoa. The first one was that he _never _kissed Rinoa twice in one sitting in very short intervals. The second was that he was never aggressive in wanting a kiss from Rinoa; he would usually wait until he got her consent before he would even try. The third and most important rule he _always _followed: Cloud _never _placed kisses anywhere but Rinoa's face.

"C-Cloud…!" Rinoa stammered when the blond began trailing his lips down the creamy skin of her throat. He stopped at her collarbone and lingered there. Rinoa – clearly uncomfortable with the situation at hand – weakly attempted to push Cloud away, her hands gripping his shoulders. "Please stop…!"

"Why?" he asked, bringing his head up to whisper seductively in her ear, "You love me right?"

Rinoa shivered at his touch, but managed to say, "Y-Yes, but this is…too fast…"

"You're just nervous." Cloud placed a long kiss against the side of her neck before whispering again, "I'll be gentle."

"N…No…! Cloud, stop!" Rinoa begged again. This time, the blond didn't bother to respond and merely continued his actions. He persisted to kiss her against her protests, but when he attempted to tease his fingers under her blouse, Rinoa had enough. She cried out, "SQUALL!"

Cloud immediately halted after that, moving away from Rinoa completely. She hugged herself and gazed at him, fear shaking her to the core. Cloud only stared at her with an even look before gazing at her with an apologetic smile. He waited for Rinoa to lash out against him – slap him, kick him, whatever – but it never came. Instead, she just sat there on the edge of the piano bench, staring at him as if he grew another head.

He finally spoke up after the silence hanging in the air became unbearable, "Rinoa, we have to stop hiding."

"What are… What are you talking about?" she asked, wearily tethering on whether or not she could move closer to him. Rinoa chose to keep her distance; a safe choice.

"I mean about how we really feel," Cloud expanded, locking gazes with her, "Do you even realize whose name you just called out?"

Rinoa's eyes widened and she rebuked, "T-That's because you were scaring me!"

"But even if I scared you, you called out Squall's name right away. You only begged me twice to stop, Rinoa. You weren't even trying anymore," Cloud pointed out.

"You… You were _testing _me?" Rinoa questioned, her voice hitting an octave higher.

"Yes—" he managed to let out before Rinoa _finally _slapped him clear across the face.

"How _dare _you!" she hurtfully hissed, hot tears beginning to run down her face, "I expected that kind of thing from Squall, but from _you? _Cloud how could you?"

Cloud took in every word she threw at him. Yes, what he did was as sleazy and low, but there was a reason why he did those things. Slowly looking at Rinoa's angry face and ignoring the sting to his cheek, Cloud asked, "Rinoa… Have you ever wondered _why _you're dating me?"

She didn't answer him right away, but Cloud saw a flash of confusion running behind her brown eyes. "Wonder why… It should be _obvious!"_

"Well, it's not," Cloud retorted forcefully, causing Rinoa to flinch. He inhaled a breath before continuing, "It's not obvious, Rinoa; at least not anymore. Do you want to know why _I'm_ dating _you?"_

No reply.

"Rinoa… That day I started school here in Esthar, you were the one who had to show me around the school campus. I took one look at you and you know what the first thing that crossed my mind was? _You _looked a lot like _Tifa," _Cloud confessed, earning a shocked reaction from Rinoa. He nodded and confirmed once again, "All the things you did from day one – your mannerisms, optimism, heck, even your tone sometimes when you spoke – they all reminded me of _Tifa."_

"C-Cloud—"

"Rinoa, I was in love with Tifa Lockhart ever since I realized she was the girl living next door to me back in Nibelheim. She affected me _that _much."

She shook her head vigorously and looked at him helplessly. "Why are you _saying _this?"

"Because I'm trying to be straight with you, Rinoa," Cloud answered, looking away from her when he couldn't stand to look into her pitiful eyes. He couldn't believe he was the cause of Rinoa looking so _pained. _Cloud laced his fingers together and forced himself to press on with his plight despite the dreaded feeling making knots in his stomach. "Tifa and I never worked out so I moved as far away as I could to get away from my past. I met you and saw a little bit of Tifa in you, but I knew that was wrong. I was trying to _forget _Tifa…but I was wrong in trying to do that through _you, _Rinoa."

"Through _me?" _Rinoa repeated, her voice cracking, "Are you telling me, Cloud Strife, that you never _loved _me?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, Rinoa, I love you, but…I'm only realizing it's not the capacity you're probably asking me to love you with. I love you and I tried to love _just _you, but you kept overlapping with Tifa without my knowing. I just kept making comparisons between you two and somehow that warped into me hoping you could be the next _Tifa. _You don't deserve that Rinoa and I realize that now. I'm sorry."

"So then I was nothing more than a replacement?" Rinoa shot back venomously. She slammed her hand down on the piano bench and Cloud couldn't blame her for having such deep hatred for him at the moment. "You wanted Tifa, but you were stuck with me? Is that it? Cloud you…_cheat!"_

"I know, Rinoa. And I know it's only fair that you hate me," Cloud replied lowering his gaze in guilt. However, he soon tightened his hands together to the point where his knuckles became white as the hard part was just to come. "But you know, Rinoa… You're guilty of this too."

"W-What?" Rinoa shifted back, sneering at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Squall," Cloud mentioned with a narrow of his eyes, "He and I don't look the same, but I know you make comparisons between us because parts of our attitude is similar."

He received another wave of silence.

Cloud couldn't help but let a dark smile appear on his face. "It's funny how you and I ended up in similar situations, but yours is worse. And it's all because Squall's your stepbrother…"

"What are you talking about, Cloud?" Rinoa demanded. She stood up from the bench in a mixture of fury and confusion. "Answer me!"

"Rinoa, you _instinctively _fell in love with me because I'm _really _similar to Squall." Cloud closed his eyes, his heart growing heavy with every passing moment. "Like you were to Tifa in regards to me, I am to Squall in regards to you. That's why we were compatible…For a time anyways. We were basically…confiding our fantasies within each other; we were living in dreams and fairy tales together… But that has to end, Rinoa. We can't _do _this anymore."

At his words, Rinoa's voice became helpless and frightened once more. "Cloud… What are you saying?"

He dug his nails into his skin and drew blood inside his cheek. This was it; no more fairy tales. They were both crashing to reality now… Looking at her – his face stoic, but his eyes filled with a heartbreaking expression – Cloud could practically feel bile rising up his throat.

"Rinoa… We're over."


	18. The Turnabout

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **I know someone's going to shoot me with a laser… I KNOW WHO YOU ARE! -shot- Damn… Sorry guys. This chapter gave me so much trouble. D: It might reflect when you read it. I dunno. I'll leave it to you I guess. -shrug- And the person who wants to shoot me: I'll make it up to you! I swear. :3  
Hmm… I don't really have much to say about this chapter, but I guess it comes to some sort of…closure? Oh! And I suck at describing action scenes! Yay! :D In fact, I don't think I've had one since Chapter Four. LOL I'm going to fail when I start my next story. xD  
Also, thanks to everyone who took part in my poll! :D I think I have an idea of what to do now… Thanks!

And before I forget (because I think I already have), did I tell anyone that I started a drabble challenge on Laguna/Raine? I can't remember if I did or not, but check it out if you like. O_o It's titled "Dew Drops in the Morning" and centers around Laguna/Raine fluffiness. It gets updated every Saturday. :D And yes, I know, this is shameless plugging, but it's by me right? :D -shot-

Now! I must thank you guys for your patience! Thanks so much for keeping up with the story even when my updates are so weird. :D I don't do well under pressure. LOL Life's a biznotch isn't it? I hate work, but I'll save that for another day~! Thanks for reading dear readers, favoriters, and subbers! And of course, my lovely reviewers are lovely! _Alessia Heartilly, Niqsta _(…hi -runs away-)_, Muffin7, Squall. Is. The. Best., angelwings, Funk3y Fr3sh, effect20, finaldragonquest, Naya Angel-Wings Heartilly, onewingedangel4, aichioluv, gleamfang, 6jrz422, WishingDreamer5, _and _Scribbleness_ (;-; Sad face just because)! Thanks so much for reviewing last chapter! :3

I hope you guys enjoy this one too! Remember to R&R! Thank you!

* * *

"_My heart's becoming numb at your slightest sadness  
I hate that guy so much  
He has all of your love, yet he still makes you cry  
What more does he need?"  
~ Daesung: Try Smiling_

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"Oh snap!" Zell quickly used his reflexes and caught the drink before it could clatter on the tabletop.

Squall released a breath he was holding before looking at Tifa. The dark haired beauty furrowed her eyebrows and apologized, "Zell, I'm so sorry!"

"No worries, Tifa. It's all good." Zell gave her a thumbs up. "Thanks for the drink!"

"Yeah… You're welcome," Tifa replied with a small smile of her own. She turned away and started walking back to the bar counter to complete the rest of her drink orders.

Squall couldn't help but feel as if Tifa was distracted…_really _distracted. In the time that he's been working with her, not once has Tifa spaced out the way she was doing right now. In fact, ever since he and the others came by to utilize – correction: _abuse _– his discount rights at the café, Tifa remained listless and spacey with during her shift. Squall assumed she was still a little sick…but since she was able to twist Irvine's arm before he could touch her from behind, that really wasn't the case.

"So when are _you _working next, Squall?" Seifer asked, mocking with a grin as he bit down on his straw. "I've yet to see the famous Squall Loire in his _work uniform."_

"Shut up, Seifer," Squall retorted, shooting a glare at Irvine, Selphie, and Zell. They merely pretended to act casual – looking away, drumming their fingers, and whistling – when in reality, Squall has yet to punish them. They were going to get judgment… Squall just didn't know what to do yet…

Seifer brushed off Squall's comment with a shrug before piping up again, his eyes straying to the bar counter. He raised a questioning eyebrow. "Sheesh. Lockhart is out of it."

Enticed by his words, Squall and the others looked over; watching as Tifa fumbled with a glass cup. She accidentally dropped it and smashed against the hard floor in dozens of pieces. Furrowing her eyebrows, Tifa rubbed her face with both her hands before running them through her hair and bending down to pick up the glass shards.

"She seems sad," Selphie guessed, cell phone in hand.

"I gotta say," Irvine spoke up, his tone nearing sympathetic, "with Tifa acting like _that, _I kinda feel bad about how I greeted her…"

At this, Selphie couldn't help but narrow her emerald green eyes at him, Quistis shaking her head in disapproval. "Then why did you in the _first _place, Irvy? I swear, as long as the person's _female, _anyone's good for you!"

Irvine's jaw dropped and Seifer laughed obnoxiously at the mess the would-be cowboy got himself into. Opening and closing his mouth, Irvine struggled to explain himself, "Aw c'mon, Selph! You know you're the only one for me!"

"I'll believe it when I see it!" Selphie crossed her arms and defiantly looked away from her boyfriend…maybe soon-to-be ex-boyfriend.

Yuffie snickered and leaned towards the auburn haired cowboy, having no qualms about whispering loudly, "Oooh. So much for Mr. Smooth. I don't think the cowboy act is helping either."

"Okay, for once, that deserves a high-five. Fricken priceless." Seifer grinned, raising his hand and Yuffie happily slapped it. Irvine merely groaned and apologized to Selphie who – despite looking angry – was actually withholding a laugh.

Squall rolled his eyes as Quistis sighed, resting her head in one of her palms. Smiling, she turned her glance to Squall. "Are you going to help her?"

"…Quistis. Stop that."

"Stop what?" she asked, a playful glint appearing in her eyes. A giggle escaped her when Squall glared at her. "Oh, it's not my fault that I can read you…sometimes." Again, the brunet rolled his eyes. She was right though; of course Squall was going to help Tifa. He was personally worried about her too…

Standing up from his seat – and unfortunately placing the spotlight on him – Squall ran a hand through his hair and turned his gaze to the dark haired beauty. He sighed. "I'll be back."

"Oooh… Gotcha!" Selphie teased with a wink.

Yuffie added fuel to the fire…while taking out her camera phone. "You go get her, tiger! Er…lion!"

Zell and Irvine snickered whereas Squall glared at each of them. "Yuffie, put that camera away. Seifer, shut up."

"What are you accusing _me_ for?" Seifer shrugged, leaning back against his seat. He placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt although a smirk still plastered his face. "You wound me, Loire. Are we not the best of pals?"

…_I'm not even going to bother to entertain that idea, _Squall told himself. Scoffing, he prioritized his tasks and walked away from the table and up to Tifa; ignoring any and all "encouragements" his friends were giving him. What. The. Hell. He and Tifa were just _friends! _Why couldn't anyone understand or see that? Squall grimly thought, knowing _exactly _whose fault this was, _I'm going to kill you, Seifer._

Once he reached the bar counter, Squall immediately got on his knees and helped Tifa pick up the glass shards. His entrance had startled Tifa out of her thoughts and she stared at him wide eyed. "Squall, it's okay! I can do it."

"No you can't. If anything, you'll just drop the pieces again and make an even bigger mess," Squall snapped, his current mood due to a lot of things that have happened recently. Once he realized this, Squall sighed and apologized, "Sorry. I've got a lot on my mind."

Tifa gave him a smile, her wine colored eyes looking to the floor as she picked up the bigger pieces with delicate fingers. "It's alright… I have a lot on my mind too."

"I've noticed," Squall replied. Once the glass pieces were placed on a serving tray and dump in a separate garbage bag, the brunet crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. He watched as Tifa grabbed a dustpan and broom. "How come you're so distracted? Didn't you tell me once that whatever's on your mind, you can 'handle it and work at the same time?'"

A giggle escaped her as she started to brush the remaining pieces of glass on the ceramic floor into the dustpan. "I see. So this is Squall Loire's infamous 'twisting of words.'"

He raised an eyebrow, taking a guess as he sat down in one of the empty seats, "…Zell?"

"Yuffie actually," Tifa corrected, eyeing him playfully. Squall couldn't help but curve the corners of his mouth into a small smile in return. At least Tifa wasn't completely shelling up. He gave her a moment to dump the remaining glass pieces into the garbage bag before expecting her to answer his question truthfully. With a sigh, Tifa placed the broom and dustpan back against the wall, whispering, "If it's you…I guess I can confess…"

"Confess what?" This intrigued him. Exactly what secret held by Tifa Lockhart did she want to share with him? By her tone, he guessed that it happened just recently.

Her back continued to face him until he saw her shoulders slump. Slowly turning around, Tifa's face contorted to that of guilt and she rubbed her upper right arm while walking up to the bar counter. Nervously, the dark haired beauty bit her bottom lip and shyly looked at Squall. "This morning…I ran into Cloud."

Oh… She wanted to talk about _him. _Refraining from sighing, Squall responded, "And?"

"He gave me a ride to school this morning," Tifa explained, hanging her head as she brushed her bangs back. "And we talked…about Rinoa among other things."

_Rinoa… _Squall closed his eyes. Just thinking about her was a sensitive topic.

Ever since that near kiss they almost experienced on Saturday, Squall wasn't sure how to approach her anymore. Well…he did. Squall had a feeling he was getting closer to opening Rinoa's eyes that she was reciprocating his affections without evening knowing it. He just needed one more push! That night, he really believed _that _could've been the moment to set things in motion…but then Rinoa completely freaked out. She started saying things of how she couldn't – wouldn't – betray Cloud; how what _she _was doing was wrong. Rinoa broke down and all Squall could do was comfort her to the best of his abilities. He took her home, made excuses as to why they came home filthy and wet, helped her get to bed, and basically watched her sleep when she begged him not to leave her alone. Squall only listened to her requests out of fear of her breaking down again, though it hurt when he realized _why _she wanted him there.

He was substituting for Cloud. She had said it herself that night: she had wanted to call Cloud after her heated confrontation with him. Rinoa wanted the blond's comfort; not his.

Opening his eyes – remembering that he was lending his ear to Tifa – Squall pushed down his emotional baggage in favor of helping a friend. With an even voice, Squall asked, "What about Rinoa?"

"I'm pretty sure you know that they got into a fight? On the weekend?" Tifa checked, cautious of how she worded the scenario around the brunet.

He could've laughed then. Of course he knew about it. At lunch time today, Squall had literally given Rinoa _encouraging _words about her relationship with Cloud. If anything, that hurt his pride more than anything! Helping his rival by telling the person he loved that everything was going to be fine…in her relationship! Squall stubbornly believed he did it because he hated seeing Rinoa so depressed (for what, he wasn't sure anymore) and wanted to see her smile again. Her reaction? Rinoa snapped at him; calling him a hypocrite and attempting to walk away. It surprised him – her reaction – but by then, Squall was acting with his heart instead of his head. Before she had gotten away, Squall pulled her back and hugged her; telling her that all he wanted was to see her happy again. After that, she had relaxed and returned the hug. Squall stayed by her side until the end of lunch, hoping she would be fine. She probably was… After all, Rinoa had a tutoring session with Strife as of now…and Rinoa hadn't called him in tears…

"Squall?"

Tifa's concerned voice called him back from the depths of his mind and he nodded, masking his hurt. "Yeah, I know about it."

The girl standing across from him gave a look of concern, but decided not to speak of Squall's problems. The expression he showed her hinted that he didn't want to talk about it and Squall was grateful that Tifa was understanding at this point. She continued, gripping the ends of her black skirt, "Well…I tried to comfort him about it…"

Squall furrowed his eyebrows then. "Okay…? Why does that—"

"I kissed Cloud this morning."

Silence.

A part of his mind was working double-time to process the information.

"…You…kissed Cloud…this morning?"

Tifa darted her eyes away for a moment before nodding slowly.

"…How did…he react?"

"He…" Tifa whispered at this point, "I don't think he got mad…"

Squall stared at her in pure shock. He wasn't mad? Cloud Strife wasn't mad that a girl, who – by the way – wasn't his girlfriend, had kissed him? On the _lips? _And he didn't do a thing about it? Finally blinking, Squall slowly pulled his gaze away from Tifa and looked down at his lap. Cloud didn't react? Did he just go numb? Numb enough that he was stupid enough not to _react? _Sure. Maybe Squall shouldn't be talking, but at least _Rinoa _showed _normal _signs of reacting to a kiss that wasn't from your significant other. She got mad at him when he first kissed her. Heck, she slapped him across the face! But Cloud? Squall wasn't expecting him to hit Tifa (because that would be just plain wrong…and stupid), but he could have at least yell at her or get mad at Tifa for kissing him when he was clearly still dating _Rinoa!_

…Cloud was okay with kissing another woman when he was still bound to Rinoa…

"That son of a…!" Squall lowly growled, feeling his anger rising.

Tifa's eyes widened and she attempted, "Squall! _I _was the one who initiated the kiss! Not Cloud!"

Squall snapped at her, his voice getting harder to keep to a whisper, "You think I care about that? Cloud didn't _care _that you kissed him. He's dating Rinoa and he didn't _care!"_

"Squall!" Tifa cried back, narrowing her eyes in protest. "I understand how you feel, but you need to get your facts straight! Have you ever considered that he might just be confused like Rinoa? _Everything _doesn't revolve around just her you know! She's not the only person who's getting hurt because of what you _and _I are doing to their relationship! _Everyone _gets hurt, Squall. There are _no_ winners."

He wanted to argue that she was wrong. Cloud was in the wrong for not doing anything about that kiss without reproach. Rinoa was depressed over _him. _Of course Squall was going to blame Cloud… But Tifa had a point. In order to win Rinoa, people were going to be sacrificed in the process. And in his situation, Cloud was the unlucky soul he was going to step all over like a bug and Rinoa…Squall didn't want to see Rinoa break down like she did. That was too much for him. If Rinoa was really deeply in love with Cloud…then of course it was going to hurt.

After calming down some, Squall inhaled and exhaled slowly; curling and uncurling his fist as it rested on top of the bar counter. The brunet ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to sooth his unneeded rage. Tifa soon placed a gentle hand on top of his, causing him to look at her with bewilderment.

She smiled at him and squeeze his hand, advising, "I know how you feel…but things will turn up someday."

_Yeah…but I want them to make sense at this very moment, _Squall thought, slightly returning the grip. He nodded to Tifa once. She…really did keep him grounded… Almost as much as Rinoa used to do…

"Oh my _gosh!" _Selphie gasped, causing Squall to look over at his friends' table.

Zell caught him looking over and he panicked, loudly whispered, "Shh! Selphie not so loud!"

The petite brunette frowned, her phone in her hands. "But I can't help it! I mean Ri—"

_"—Ritardando!_ Yes! That is a musical term meaning, uh…meaning…" Irvine interrupted, covering Selphie's mouth with a hand. Unfortunately for him, he was suddenly losing himself in his shamble of a sentence.

Quistis rubbed at her temples and filled in, "Meaning a sudden drop in tempo."

"Thank you, Quistis!" Irvine praised, Selphie still struggling to get her voice back.

Squall and Tifa shared a look of confusion. What in the world were they talking about?

It was Seifer who gave them a small hint as he rolled his eyes and scoffed, "You guys are morons. Squall's going to learn about it eventually. In fact, I'll give him ten seconds."

"What am I going to learn in ten seconds?" Squall finally spoke up, impatient that whatever his friends were talking about was…whatever the hell they were hiding from him. Everyone suddenly went quiet and Squall was just about ready to connect his palm to his forehead. So they make a big deal about it when he's _not _asking? He repeated his question again with as much patience as he could muster, "You guys…_what_ am I going to find out?"

Seifer – about the only person capable enough to answer him – was interrupted when Yuffie cracked, "Rinoa and Cloud broke up!"

"Yuffie!" a chorus of cries shouted out in unison.

The black haired Wutain girl gave a sheepish grin, tapping her two index fingers together. "Ehehe…Sorry! It's just…! The tension! I mean, come on!"

Before anyone could even retort, Squall spoke up tensely, "They broke _up? _When?"

Selphie was the next to speak, seeing as how she caused the immediate uproar, "Today… My guess is during Rinoa's tutoring session. She just…texted me kinda…"

Another moment of silence passed before Squall abruptly stood up from his seat, his chair screeching across the ceramic floor.

"Squall!" Tifa cried out, quickly taking hold of his arm. She could sense that he was about to do something regretful. "Calm down!"

"Calm down?" he scoffed, sparing the girl a glance. "You expect _me _to calm down after hearing that? After what _you _told me? I need to talk to Cloud…with my fist in his face."

"Stop it!" Tifa scolded, attempting to match Squall's glare. "That's childish and you know it!"

Squall didn't bother to answer her. Instead he turned away from her when his steel blue eyes caught something out the window. Focusing, Squall stared – slightly dumbfounded – before finally reacting and narrowed his eyes. Pulling his arm away from Tifa, Squall began walking across the café and towards the door.

Tifa and the others watched him before Quistis followed the brunet's gaze out the window and gasped, a hand to her mouth, "Cloud!"

"What?"

"Where?"

Selphie bounced on her toes as she looked over Irvine's shoulder, pointing with her index finger against the glass towards the blond standing across the street with his motorbike. "Oh my gosh! It _is _Cloud!"

Zell couldn't help but bring up the obvious, saying, "He looks pissed…"

"Obviously," Seifer deadpanned, immediately standing up from his chair and circling around the table. "And while you guys are gawking, _Squall's_ out for blood too!"

Irvine looked in shock when he realized what Seifer meant. He scrambled out of his chair. "Oh shi—! Squall! Hold up!"

Said brunet merely continued to walk towards the door. He was pretty close to reaching the exit when Seifer suddenly grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back. Squall threw his deadliest glare at Seifer, but the blond remained unfazed, holding his ground. Seifer warned, "Get a _grip, _Loire. You're taking this on a personal level now. Break-ups happen."

"Yeah? Well you're forgetting: he broke up with _Rinoa," _Squall pointed out tersely, shrugging Seifer's hold off him. He could hear footsteps rushing up to him and Squall didn't have to think twice to know they belonged to Tifa. Squall continued to sneer at Seifer. "He promised me he wasn't going to make Rinoa cry and I sure as hell know she's crying right now because of _him."_

Tifa cried out this time from behind them, "Enough! You're just going to make things worse! What about Rinoa? She needs you right now!"

Squall's rational side knew that was the truth. If anything, Squall wanted to be there to comfort her, but… Dammit, business needed to be settled! He once again headed for the door, throwing over his shoulder in monotone, "He and I have a score to settle."

"What? Squall—" Tifa took once step forward; only to be held back by Seifer when he threw his arm up to stop her advances.

Seifer watched Squall's back as he paced towards the spiky blond once he got outside. Cloud was definitely locking eyes with the brunet and Seifer could practical see the rage flying beneath Cloud's usually calm eyes. Narrowing his green orbs, Seifer insisted, "Let them go."

"What?" Tifa exclaimed in shock, just when the others had finally huddled towards them. The dark haired beauty tapped her head with one of her palms to emphasize the direness of the situation. "Are you _crazy?_ They're going to hurt each other!"

"Exactly," Seifer calmly agreed, looking at every person in the group. "Those two have things that only _they_ can settle between each other. And sometimes, words won't cut it. I don't want anybody interfering, got it?"

Quistis stepped in, furrowing her eyebrows. "Seifer, how can you be so sure? They're probably going to end up in another brawl!"

At this, Seifer smirked; everyone looking at him in confusion. He mocked, "You kidding? 'Geniuses' like them don't make repeats. If anything…they're going to have a 'heart-to-heart.' Those guys… They're too _stupid _to realize how similar they are when their feelings get stepped on."

[][][][][][][][]

Neither person spoke, but neither of them really cared.

Squall simply followed behind the blond; glaring holes into his back every so often. It didn't surprise Squall one bit that Cloud had remained as stoic and quiet as ever. He walked with his back straight, strides even and determined. Cloud had (silently) lead them to an empty part of an open park. Luckily no one was around. The rain from the weekend had made everything wet and unsightly. The paved walkway in the park was wet, the grass slippery and squishy, and the atmosphere in a usually busy park area was heavy and gloomy; perfect for what Squall assumed he and Cloud were about to do. He wasn't stupid. Letting his blue eyes travel down to the items Cloud was carrying in his hands, Squall knew that this wasn't going to end pretty. At least…neither of them were going to come out unscathed.

_Tch… _Squall darted his eyes away in disgust. Well, if no one was going to leave unharmed, then he definitely had no qualms about hitting Cloud where it hurts. It was still unbelievable to him that Cloud and Rinoa had (finally) broken up. Squall… He wasn't sure _who _declared the break up, but a tiny fact like that didn't matter. _They _were over and _Rinoa _was in tears; there was no doubt in his mind that she was. Thinking about her in tears, wondering what it was she had done _wrong, _just didn't bode well with Squall.

But…

He wanted this to happen right? Squall wanted Rinoa to break it off with Cloud… So why did _he _feel responsible for Rinoa's tears?

Stopping in his step, Squall looked to his feet; his shoes wet with moist from the grass and soon afterwards, he heard Cloud stop walking too. Slowly, the brunet dragged his eyes towards the blond standing a distance away. Cloud still had his back facing him as the blond looked to the skies. Squall decided to remain quiet, silently analyzing Cloud for any changes in his posture. So keen… Squall didn't want to be caught off-guard for anything.

It took another pregnant pause between them before Cloud began, eyes heavenward, "…It's cloudy today."

"Wasn't like that earlier…" Squall added, merely filling in the silence. Cloud went quiet again and Squall decided to hint, "Rinoa's supposed to be tutoring piano right now. Did you forget?"

"Is that really how you're going to broach the subject?" Cloud asked pointedly.

Squall closed his eyes. "Trust me, I'd rather skip that and get straight to the point, but I want answers."

"…Ask away then," Cloud replied, looking over his shoulder to address him.

They stared at each other coldly before Squall looked past him. "Where's Rinoa?"

Cloud paused for a moment before answering, kneeling down to unclothe the two items he was carrying with him. "She ran away after I told her…that we were over. I'm assuming she went home."

"You didn't even go to check?" Squall questioned, feeling his anger rise once again.

"I ran after her if that's what you're asking," Cloud shot back, "Your mother…she was in the neighborhood and picked Rinoa up…"

_Julia? _Squall thought in surprise.

Crap.

That just made everything _worse. _There was a biting feeling in the back of Squall's mind concerning Julia. He didn't know why…but Squall felt like something in Julia changed. She was always mindful about what she said around him and she rarely ever asked him about Rinoa anymore. But the biggest thing was…the way she looked at him. Her eyes…there was something almost confused about them whenever she watched him; especially when he was around Rinoa. Squall didn't want to over-think things, but Julia… She was starting to become a problem; placing second after the person standing before him now.

"So you really are keeping it away from everyone," Cloud interrupted his thoughts as he stood up, wooden swords in hand. "Mrs. Loire; _Rinoa's_ mother… You don't want her to find out what you really feel for Rinoa."

Squall flinched, boldly taking one step forward towards the blond. "Are you going to open your mouth about it then? Strife?"

"That's not my style. I don't go around shouting out secrets for all to hear," Cloud replied, completely serious. Squall saw his grip tightening around the hilt of the wooden swords and his senses heightened in anticipation. Cloud continued, "But I don't like how a _secret_ ended up destroying my relationship with someone I cared for."

"Someone you _cared for?"_ Squall scoffed, tilting his head in a taunting manner. "Was this before or after you _lip-locked_ with Tifa this morning?" All Squall received was silence and he used it to fuel his reasoning. "All these problems you and I have, they all started because Rinoa took interest in _you. _And _you _weren't even serious about her."

Cloud suddenly threw one of the wooden swords towards Squall. It was hurling towards him with such force, Squall had almost missed catching it with his right hand. However, because Squall was paying so much attention to catching the weapon, he was unaware that Cloud had charged towards him, weapon held with both hands. Squall barely had time to defend himself when Cloud's wooden sword smashed against his.

"You think I wasn't _serious?"_ Cloud growled, both teens locked in a power struggle. "I _did _love Rinoa, but you had to go and complicate things! I was _fine _until the semester _you _came back from overseas!"

Squall gritted his teeth, pushing back against Cloud's advance and glaring his steely blue eyes into the blond's dark turquoise orbs. The brunet snapped, "So what? _I _was fine with _everything_ until _you _showed up! And your past with Tifa! Maybe if you didn't dwell on it so much, _none _of this would have happened!"

"Don't talk about things you'll _never _understand!" Cloud shouted.

They pushed back against each other, sliding backwards on the grass before readying their weapons again. Locking eyes, they raced towards each other – swords held in both hands – and attacked. Squall, having the quicker reactions, flanked to the right and attempted to slash at Cloud's side. Cloud however swiftly dodged the attack by slipping on the slick grass, sliding behind Squall. He whipped his sword for a horizontal strike, but Squall quickly blocked it by throwing his weapon over his shoulder.

Cloud cried out, thrusting his weapon towards Squall's torso, "I don't care how much Tifa's revealed to you, but I won't stand for you talking down to me _because _of things in the past!"

"Then why are you so _upset?"_ Squall retorted, sacrificing a blow to his side to throw two quick slaps to the blond's left leg. He dodgerolled to the side before taking a defensive stance when Cloud charged him again. "Tifa respected you too much to actually say anything to me! Not like I care what actually _happened _between you two. The past is the past."

"Maybe for you, but the guilt carries over."

"Then get out of your damned self-pity! Tifa's over whatever happened between you two, but because you can't come to terms with it, it's affecting her!"

"Oh?" Cloud chuckled darkly, parrying Squall's multiple assaults. "So you're an expert on _Tifa_ now? If it were any other guy, I would be happy for her. But instead, she seems fixated on _you."_

"She isn't, you moron; she's fixated on _you!"_ The brunet grunted, slashing skyward before twisting his body to jab Cloud's arm. "Why though, I'll never understand. What exactly is it about you that she feels _guilty_ for?"

They locked swords again and merely stood in a stalemate. Both were breathing laboriously and eyes were narrowed so hard, Squall and Cloud could literally kill each other on sight. Squall didn't want to admit it, but they were _both _getting exhausted too quickly. All that pent up anger they held for each other was dissipating and if they continued to cross swords, then they were really only asking each other to get hurt for no apparent reason.

Squall pushed back, one foot propelling him forward as he attempted, "What is it that you _both_ feeling guilty for?"

The blond silently kept his eyes on Squall's face, grunting every now and then. Throwing his wooden sword forward, they both stood a distance away to regain copious amounts of oxygen. Cloud continued to glance at Squall; his shoulders slumping forward as he breathed heavily. Ripping his eyes away, Cloud bit his bottom lip and stabbed the ground with his weapon. Kneeling down in exhaustion, Cloud lowered his head. "I…took something away from her…"

"What?" Squall panted. He righted himself with his sword and slowly sat down. Squall tried his best to hide his fatigue, but – seeing how Cloud wasn't even paying attention – the brunet didn't really care anymore. Shaking his head, he sat silently; waiting for the blond to continue.

Cloud did, looking to the sky; a solemn look on his face. "All I wanted…was to be together with her; with Tifa… Instead, I took away something she loved. And all because of a stupid bet."

"…You…placed your feelings on a gamble?"

"Only because I was so sure I could win. I just wanted to be accepted by her…" Cloud closed his eyes before lowering his head again with whisper, "I was wrong… The way I handled everything was wrong."

Squall stared at him before scoffing. Standing up, he began to walk towards Cloud, wooden weapon pointed down at his side. "I'll say. You didn't have to do anything. Tifa…she already liked you. What's there to prove?"

"Isn't that something you have to answer too?" Cloud retorted, but it wasn't of spite. He looked up, Squall standing before him. "What's to prove… You and Rinoa are seen as siblings to the public eye. Who's going to accept that?"

The brunet flinched at the truthfulness in his words. Cloud was right. Even if the brunet _did_ succeed in getting Rinoa to love him, what happens if people tried to pull them apart? What if their parents tried to pull them apart? Would they…? Squall looked to his right, realizing why he felt responsible for Rinoa's heartbreak.

If he was to have his chance with her, she would only experience more wouldn't she? But they could get through it; he could get through it if he had Rinoa. She…She made every day bearable as long as she could smile for him. With his resolve strengthened, Squall focused on Cloud again. The blond had been waiting for an answer and he was going to get it.

"If no one accepts it, then I'll have to let them see that what I want isn't a game. I love Rinoa and I'll do the impossible just to prove it. And if they still don't accept it…then they can go ahead and turn their backs on us."

"You'd be willing to do that to Rinoa?"

"No." Squall shook his head, grip tightening on the hilt of his wooden sword. "I'm willing to be her pillar of strength so she doesn't have to worry about what society thinks. The world could be our enemy, but I'll still be there as her knight."

Cloud stared agape, searching Squall's face for fraudulence…but found none. Sighing, Cloud let a ghost of a smile appear on his face as he bowed his head in defeat. "You're resolute…I envy you."

Squall offered the blond his palm; smirking a little as his voice mocked lightheartedly, "And I hate to say it, but I do too. For what though…you'll never know."

"Didn't think so." Cloud chuckled, willingly taking Squall's palm. He stood up slowly and they both looked over their current states. Clothes were ripped in various places and bruises were starting to form along their arms. Luckily their faces were still kept intact…except for some of the cuts and scrapes visible on their neck, cheeks, and forehead. Squall was slightly bemused. How long had they be fighting? He didn't have time to think before Cloud questioned curiously, "You'll take care of her won't you?"

"Is that really how you're going to broach the subject?" Squall asked, repeating Cloud's earlier words. The blond scoffed in good nature and Squall let a smirk grace his face. Answering seriously, Squall nodded. "If anything, that's all I want; for her to smile again."

Cloud nodded, clapping down a hand on Squall's shoulder. "Good luck…"

"Hey!"

Perking up, both teens turned around to see Tifa and Seifer walking up to them. Tifa waved her hand before dashing towards them whereas Seifer sighed and placed his hands in his pockets with disinterest. Squall nodded towards them and both he and Cloud placed their weapons to the ground before greeting them properly. Squall opened his mouth to say something when he received the most unusual greeting gift…

…A punch to the face.

Seifer stared in a state of shock before letting a roar of laughter leave his mouth. Cloud had stared in shock also until Tifa gave him the same treatment she gave Squall. They were both on their knees now – dumbfounded and extremely confused – as they tried to process what happened. Squall, clearly annoyed, held his jaw in one of his hands and glared up at Tifa. "What the _hell_ was that _for?"_

"For being the most _stubborn_ males I have _ever_ had the chance to encounter!" Tifa retorted, cracking her knuckles. She placed her hands on her hips and leered down at them, Seifer clutching his stomach as he continued to cackle. "And I'm not afraid to give you more if you want. I think you_ both_ need to get some sense knocked into you! I can't believe how_ stupid _you are!"

"If we're getting 'sense' knocked in, I think we're good…" Cloud mumbled, rubbing at his throbbing cheek.

Tifa glared. "What was _that,_ Cloud?"

"…Nothing…"

"I didn't think so."

Seifer had finally caught up to them, wiping a tear of amusement out of his eye. He patted Tifa's back and snickered. "Alright, I think the two dimwits got the point, Lockhart. Obviously, you don't mess with a woman who can punch harder than a man." Tifa nodded before slowly shooting him an incredulous look. Seifer ignored her in favor of addressing Squall directly. "So! Have you dumbasses come to a stalemate? Understanding? Whatever the hell you want to call it?"

Squall narrowed his eyes and questioned, "…Where are the others?"

"Sent'em home 'cept Lockhart. Of course, that wasn't easy. You owe me big time, Loire," Seifer sternly hinted and Squall had to refrain from rolling his eyes. He had to keep reminding himself that Seifer was doing this out of the goodness of his heart—Okay, Squall wasn't going to deny it; Seifer was an asshole. Either way, it was a lot easier to hide some of the things he and Cloud were discussing if only a _few _people were around. Sighing with a nod, Squall stood up and dusted his semi-wet pants. Now he just needed an excuse as to why his clothes were torn…

Out of the corner of his eye, the brunet saw Tifa crouching down on her knees beside the spiky blond. She placed her hands on his shoulders gently and furrowed her eyebrows. "You alright?"

Cloud smiled a little, joking, "Before or after you punched me?"

Tifa couldn't help but smile back, helping Cloud to his feet. Squall blinked, a thought crossing his mind as he continued to watch Tifa and Cloud interact. The dark haired beauty held Cloud up by slinging his arm around her shoulders. He seemed grateful…and he wasn't exactly uncomfortable either. It ticked Squall off a little that he was easing up so quickly, but then again, Tifa didn't mind the close proximity either… Wasn't she _just _freaking out about kissing a taken (now single) person who was in a relationship (now destroyed)? These Nibelheim country bumpkins… They were so weird…

"So where do you want to go?" Seifer piped up, crossing his arms as he glanced at every person.

"We can stop by my place to get you guys fixed up." Tifa smiled, humming, "This reminds me of the time you guys stayed over at my apartment that one night!"

Cloud perked up immediately and blurted out, staring wide eyed, "Wait. _Squall_ stayed at _your _place?"

"For the love of _Hyne, _I am not having this conversation _again."_ Squall roughly sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Seifer and Cloud unconsciously shared a confused gaze whereas Tifa blushed a tint of pink; suddenly remembering _that _incident was not to be spoken. Ever… Calming down, Squall instructed, "I'll stop by Seifer's place, Tifa. I just need to clean myself up a little."

"…Who gave you permission to choose _my _place as a rest stop?" Seifer raised a questioning eyebrow, but the brunet simply rolled his eyes.

Tifa couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows. "Are you sure? I don't mind if you—"

"It's fine," Squall interrupted coolly, nodding to Seifer a silent message. The taller blond thought for a moment before realization dawned on him. He smirked in understanding, beginning to walk away while chuckling under his breath. Squall let out a mental sigh of relief before looking back at Tifa and Cloud. He continued in a casual tone, "Besides. You guys have a lot of catching up to do. Without interruptions."

Blinking, Cloud and Tifa shared a look before they both turned red and looked in different directions. Tifa cleared her throat as Cloud scratched the side of his cheek. "W-Well, as long as you can get your wounds fixed up quickly…"

Squall smirked. "Don't worry. I'll be alright." He waved to Tifa, bidding, "I'll see you at work on Friday."

"Yeah." Tifa nodded, a smile gracing her face. The brunet returned the nod before walking away.

"…Squall." Said brunet stopped in his tracks, looking over his shoulder to the spiky blond who had addressed him. Cloud lowered his eyes for a moment before looking at him again. Softening his eyes and smiling sincerely, Cloud spoke, "Thanks… Take care of Rinoa."

At first, he was taken aback by Cloud's sudden encouragement, but…there was no malice or hard feelings when he thanked him. Slowly, Squall returned the smile with one of his own and nodded. He turned back around and started to walk side by side with Seifer, purposely ignoring Seifer's darting eyes.

"So?" Seifer began, his ever mocking smirk playing on his lips. "You're all buddy-buddy with Strife now that he's off your 'blacklist?'"

Squall eyed Seifer before scoffing. Looking forward, he replied, "We just found equal ground… Shut _up, _Seifer." As Squall attempted to ignore the blond's rambunctious laughter, he focused his concentration on his next and most important objective:

Rinoa.

[][][][][][][][]

"Oh, Angel…"

"Why?" Rinoa sobbed against her pillow, clutching her sheets tightly as she shook in her spot. "It doesn't make any sense! W-Why was… Mom…!"

"Shh…" Julia quietly hushed as she ran her fingers through her daughter's raven hair. It only caused Rinoa to cry more and Julia frowned sadly. "Sweetie… I'm sorry it didn't work out, but Cloud isn't the only one you'll meet. I'm sure there's someone better out there for you. Cloud…he probably feels bad about breaking up too. He was a nice boy."

"And that's why I'm so confused, Mom!" Rinoa sobbed, her tear-stained face looking up pitifully at her mother. "I _loved _him, but…b-but he thinks I never _did. _I don't understand why…"

She choked up again and Julia took Rinoa into her arms, letting her daughter openly sob. The only thing Julia could do was let Rinoa cry it all out. She rubbed soothing circles on her daughter's back and rocked her slightly, humming a song to calm Rinoa down. It broke Julia's heart knowing her daughter was pained.

Rinoa… This wasn't the first time she broke up with a boyfriend, so why was she crying so much? She was so affected by Cloud's declaration… Did that young man really have an impact on Rinoa? Julia didn't want to sound negative but…they've only been going out for not even five months! Was her daughter that madly in love with Cloud Strife? When she was coming home after a busy day – taking a direct route passing the high school the children attended – Julia had spotted her daughter running out the school gates in tears. Cloud had been chasing after her, but after Julia had stopped to collect her daughter, the boy kept his distance. It confused Julia greatly _why _he was so distant until Rinoa had sobbed to her.

"_Mom, I want to go home, please! Please!"_

Cloud had given her an apologetic look, bowing his head before returning to the school. Such drama… Julia was past her prime to experience such drama and Rinoa… She was so young to experience such heartbreak.

"M-Mom…?" Rinoa sniffed, having calm down a little. She wiped her nose with her shirt before resting her head in the crook of Julia's neck.

The mother whispered softly, again stroking Rinoa's hair, "Yes, Angel?"

Rinoa's eyelids became heavy and her eyes fluttered close. She mumbled, spilling the last of her tears, "I…I don't…want to see Squall… Please?"

"Squall…?" Julia repeated, taken aback. She looked down at her daughter to ask for clarification, but Julia soon found that Rinoa had fallen asleep. A sigh escaped the mother. She brushed her daughter's bangs out of her face before helping Rinoa lie down properly on her bed. Covering Rinoa with the white blanket, Julia observed Rinoa's state. Her tears were imprinted on her face and Rinoa's expression…it was still contorted with stress. Her precious daughter had cried herself to exhaustion.

Julia gently stroked Rinoa's cheek with feather-light touches and frowned sympathetically, _Oh, Rinoa…Cry no more. Mommy hates seeing you cry._ She gave Rinoa a loving kiss on the forehead before letting her daughter rest. She closed the door to her daughter's room before walking down the hallway.

Sighing against her palm, Julia wondered what she was going to do. Rinoa didn't want to see Squall? Why? If anything, Julia was fully expecting Rinoa to _want _to see Squall. Rinoa had always turned to Squall whenever she had problems; _especially _after breaking up with her previous boyfriends. What made Cloud…so _different?_

She bit her bottom lip as she walked down the stairs. Julia thought too highly of Squall, but could he be—

"_One new message."_

…_Oh! _Julia snapped to attention, watching the little red light blink on the phone set. She must have been so absorbed with Rinoa that she never heard the phone ring just moments ago! Julia slapped her forehead in stupidity.

What happens if it was Laguna? Smiling, Julia walked the last of the stairs before making her way to the phone sitting on top of the small side table up against the wall. Pressing the _REPLAY _button, Julia waited for the message to playback. Laguna's voice was never heard. Instead…it was Julia's physician.

"_Hello, Julia. This is Dr. Kadowaki speaking. I am calling you to inform you about what we discussed earlier this morning," _the professional voice spoke, not skipping a beat, _"Your test results came back sometime in the afternoon."_

Julia's heart stopped. So soon? She was expecting the results at least sometime at the end of the week! She listened intently.

Dr. Kadowaki's voice paused for a moment before it continued, suddenly slightly solemn, _"…They tested positive. I would like to discuss more with you about your condition. If you can give my office a call—"_

She had heard enough. Julia's finger lingered on the _STOP _button and she merely looked out into space. Her tests proved positive. After a moment, Julia slowly raised a hand to her throat and gently pressed down. She felt slight discomfort, but despite this, she smiled…sadly.

_I…I see…_


	19. Climax Factor

**Disclaimers: **I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

**A/N: **Hey guys! :D So here's Chapter 19! It's surprising that I'm almost at Chapter 20. Wow! XD Haha. I absolutely _love _this chapter because of the development and I hope you'll like it too! :) I've been dying to write this chapter since forever! I don't really have anything else to say because thank you? Haha!

Thank you guys for reading and sticking with the story! And my reviewers! Oh gosh, I feel bad for not getting back to you guys! D: But I did read your reviews over and over again and I'm very thankful for you guys taking the time to write out some lengthy responses! It makes me feel very happy. ^_^ _Niqsta, Naya Angel-Wings Heartilly, Squall. Is. The. Best., achioluv, Muffin7, gleamfang, effect20, angelwings, Cloud's kid 1, WishingDreamer5, _and _greyshade _(no, I'm not VIP though I wish I was. :| I'm just Big Bang fan LOL)… THANKS FOR REVIEWING! :D If I could give you guys goodie bags, I totally would. LOL And special thanks goes to _Niqsta _for betaing this chapter! Without her, I probably would've delayed my updates again! xD Thanks buddy!

Well, I hope you guys enjoy! :) Remember to R&R!

* * *

"_Tell me what is right and what is wrong  
I don't even know why I'm fighting with you  
Your face is flushed  
You're getting upset  
But even when you're looking like that  
I…"  
~ Big Bang: What is Right_

[][][][][][][][]

"Rinoa? Sweetie, please open the door. You need to eat something…" Julia attempted to cajole Rinoa out for the umpteenth time. She leaned her head against the door, pressing her ear against it in hopes of hearing Rinoa's shuffling to open the barrier separating her from the world. When Julia heard no response, she sighed in defeat and pressed her forehead dejectedly against the cold surface of the door. "Rinoa…"

"She's still not coming out?"

Julia lifted her head off the door and looked to her left, spotting Squall standing by the staircase in concern. He pursed his lips and hung his head; his brown bangs covering his disappointed expression.

His voice overlaid in anxiety, Squall whispered, "She's been in there all day now."

"I know…" Julia crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. Walking up to Squall, she smiled sadly at the brunet and swiftly tapped his chin as a signal to face her. Turning his attention to her, Squall could see the lines of worry on Julia's face, her bleak expression divulging the level of stress. He didn't like that one bit… She should be relaxing at her age.

Julia continued her train of thought while tucking a lock of her dark hair behind her left ear, "Well, we know how sensitive she is whenever she breaks up with a boy. It's not as simple as anyone thinks. There are feelings involved and then there's the history between the people involved in the relationship to consider."

Squall trailed his blue eyes to Rinoa's door before looking into Julia's dark eyes again. His hand tightened its grip on the handle rail of the staircase to the point where his knuckles nearly turned white. "Julia, Rinoa never took break-ups so badly. And even if she is now… Rinoa's never locked _you _out of the room. Besides Ellone, you're the only other person Rinoa could really turn to when it came to…boys…"

A hint of concern flashed through Julia's eyes and she tore her gaze away from Squall. Lifting up a hand to lightly rub her neck, she nodded knowing that what Squall had stated was true. Squall furrowed his eyebrows and they both remained silent for a while longer.

Eventually, Julia was the first to break their silent vigil, her voice ringing out in agony, "…I don't know what to do, Squall." Squall blinked out of his reverie and stared at Julia in confusion with a slight tilt of his head. She in turn locked eyes with her stepson and again crossed her arms, this time presumably for warmth. "I've done everything I can for Rinoa; telling her all the things I used to say to her with her previous boyfriends, but nothing is getting through to her. Do you…perhaps know _why _she's so…broken right now? If you could've seen the look in her eyes…they were dead."

How was he supposed to answer her? Of course he knew why she was broken. _He _was the fricken cause of Rinoa's shut down. Julia was patiently waiting for his answer as Squall was racking his brain for an excuse that would suffice without warranting suspicion. At times like these, Julia was extremely synchronized to her daughter's emotions and feelings. Squall assumed it was one of those "mother-daughter" things… He certainly didn't have that kind of bond with Laguna.

_Focus! _Squall scolded himself, remembering he still needed to answer his stepmother's question. Hyne, how much he hated this; he hated being put on the spot when _Julia _was interrogating him. Squall assumed this was what mothers did when their children were acting "naughty." If Julia was indeed interrogating him in that style of discipline,then she was already suspecting him for being part of the equation as to why Rinoa was tormented. Putting on his mask of indifference, Squall lied, "I can't say for sure. Rinoa hasn't said anything to me."

He watched as Julia hummed – feeling his palms becoming sweaty with every passing moment – before she nodded. Sighing again, Julia replied, "Then I guess…we can only give her time."

Julia squeezed Squall's upper arm before making her way down the stairs and Squall couldn't help but feel like something was terribly amiss during their conversation. Looking over his shoulder, he called back to Julia who was halfway down the stairs now, "Did Rinoa… Did she say anything about me?"

"You?"

"Like… Well anything really."

"…Not that I know of," Julia answered. Squall let out a mental sigh of relief, only to reel it back when Julia continued, "But Squall… Rinoa said she didn't want to see you."

He stared at her, eyes wide before letting out, "…What?" Rinoa didn't want to see him? That wasn't right. Okay maybe it was, but Rinoa would want to see him _eventually…_right? Shaking his head and properly turning around in his spot to face his stepmother, Squall asked again in a more coherent sentence, "I'm sorry, Julia… Rinoa _doesn't _want to see me?"

The older woman nodded. "I tried asking her why before, but she doesn't give me a reason. Squall… I know you want to help her, but please give Rinoa her space?"

Squall bit the inside of his cheek before slumping his shoulders in defeat. "I…I get it."

"Thank you," Julia replied gratefully before finally reaching the bottom of the stairs and entering the living room.

…It didn't make any sense.

Rinoa didn't want to see him?

…Well okay. Maybe it _did _make _some_ sense,but wasn't that usually for the person who _was _Rinoa's boyfriend – now ex-boyfriend? Squall wasn't an expert in personal relationships in the slightest, but he had ardently thought Rinoa would have wanted to avoid _Cloud…_not him. Cloud was the one who told her that they should see other people; not him. Yes, Squall wanted Rinoa to dump the blond right when they _started _going out, but now, Rinoa and Cloud had history… And as Julia started earlier, sometimes it wasn't easy to forget about that kind of history in one shot. From that reasoning, Squall thought Rinoa wanted to avoid _Cloud _at every possible turn in her life thus far. The brunet believed Rinoa would have been crying to him – to anyone – about her break-up with Cloud. He had strongly hoped it would've been Julia… But Rinoa was turning away her own mother's help!

Exhaling a breath, Squall looked down the staircase for any indication of Julia coming back to check up on Rinoa before quietly making his way to the raven haired girl's bedroom door. She wasn't going to be opening it anytime soon, but…he might as well try and get her to talk to someone, even if it was him.

Preparing himself for the task at hand, the brunet knocked on the door; his voice calm and as soft as he could muster. "…Rinoa?" He heard no sound from the other side, thus prompting him to continue, "Can you please come out and eat something? Your mother is worried about you." Squall added in mind, _I'm worried about you too…_

There was a sudden shift in sound and Squall heard Rinoa's bedsprings squeak. Thinking he was getting a response from her, Squall became a little more attentive and pressed on, leaning against the doorframe with his forearm. "By the way, Selphie and the others came by earlier. They dropped off a toy Irvine won at the arcade hoping you'd feel better."

"Go _away, _Squall!"

…So not the response he wanted, but it was better than nothing. Remaining steadfast, Squall cleared his throat and continued in a steady tone, "Rinoa, please… Open the door."

Rinoa's soft yet bitter voice replied with a hiss, "I don't want to see you! Leave me alone!"

If this were any other situation, Squall would've believed Rinoa to be acting childish. However, he had to give her the benefit of the doubt; she just broke up with her boyfriend for crying out loud. Still…he hated how she was imprisoning herself away from everyone. That kind of attitude didn't befit her at all. Let _him _do all the brooding…not her.

"Rinoa, I need to talk with you," he persuaded, resting his forehead on the cold wooden surface of the door. What he wanted most in the world right now was to hold the girl behind this barrier in his arms until she felt better. Squall wanted to take away all her pains even if _he_ was the cause of everything that she was feeling right now. Resented or not, Squall just wanted Rinoa to be happy again.

There was another moment of silence and Squall thought Rinoa had ignored his pleas. Sighing, he thought about giving her time to think before movement was heard again. Squall paused temporarily before realizing it was the scuffling of _feet_. His heart thumped against his rib cage in excitement like a jackhammer. Crap! He wasn't expecting Rinoa to come around so quickly! He may have been coaxing her, but that didn't mean he was ready! Looking to his left and right frantically, Squall took a small step back – for some reason fixing his hair to look more presentable – and waited for her door to open. Rinoa's footsteps became louder and louder until…

Nothing.

The raven haired girl didn't open the door, her voice remained unheard of, and Rinoa's footsteps just ceased. Squall was _very _confused at this point. Letting out an almost inaudible sound, Squall took a cautious step forward and wondered if he should try jiggling the doorknob to see if it was locked. Did Rinoa walk up to the door and decided to walk back to her bed again? Gently pressing his ear against the door, Squall called out, "Uh…R…Rinoa—?"

_**SLAM!**_

Squall jumped in surprise, stumbling backwards and smacking right against the wall. His occipital bone made contact with the hard surface, causing him to grunt in pain, as he slid down the wall and clutched the back of his head. Damn! Rinoa just smacked the door right against his ear! He wasn't expecting her to open the door _that _quickly, but he also didn't think she would just hit the door with so much force to startle him! How did she even know he would press himself against the door anyway? …Oh wait, they have been living together for _eight _years now. _Of course _Rinoa was going to understand his mannerisms like the back of her hand after _such _a long time of being "pretend" siblings! Still… Squall was pretty upset with how Rinoa replied to his honest attempts at consoling her.

"What the hell, Rinoa?" Squall growled, trying to keep his voice from echoing down to the main level of the house. "That wasn't funny!"

"I wasn't trying to be!" Rinoa rebuked, her voice rising in anger behind the closed door. "I told you to leave me alone! So do it!"

Squall frowned and retorted, "Stop being so damn difficult and _talk _to someone!"

Rinoa didn't miss a heartbeat when she replied back, "I'm doing it right now, aren't I? Now leave me the hell alone!"

"You _know _what I mean, Rinoa!" Squall stood up and glared holes at the door. He didn't have any doubts Rinoa was doing exactly the same. "Stop cowering behind a wall and _really _talk to someone!"

"You're only saying that because you _want _me to talk to _you! _Stop being a hypocrite, Squall, and just leave me alone! You're the last person I want to see!" Rinoa screeched, slamming against the door again.

Squall flinched at her words before narrowing his eyes in disappointment. So that's it then. Rinoa officially hated his guts. Fine! If she wanted to stay in her bedroom _whining _about what could've been, then by all means! Throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation, Squall spat, "Your loss then. Go on pitying yourself."

"Go away already!" Rinoa cried out once more in finality.

The brunet didn't hesitate to do as asked and made his way towards the staircase. However, some instinct told him to stop walking and just listen. It was probably his conscience. Hyne, Squall hated his conscience sometimes because it acted like a nagging itch. Just standing there at the top of the staircase – probably looking a little lost to anyone who saw him – Squall listened. Very faintly, but very much there, Squall heard Rinoa's sobbing. _That _had got him to cool off instantly and guilt washed over him. Rinoa was in need of a friend; a family member; a _brother. _And what did he do? Squall only went and antagonized her. He covered his face with his right hand.

_Dammit…_

"Squall?" The brunet flinched before darting his eyes towards concerned green ones. Laguna smiled up at him worriedly from the bottom of the stairs, his hand resting on the handrail. "Everything okay? You and Rinoa… Jules and I heard some shouting and other loud noises."

The brunet frowned and immediately looked away from his father. So much for having a "quiet" argument with Rinoa. Nodding his head, Squall replied while keeping his calm exterior, "Yeah. Sorry. I was…prying a little and Rinoa got mad."

Laguna hummed, a thoughtful expression donning his face as Squall watched him carefully. A quiet Laguna was – for a lack of a better word – an "insightful" Laguna. Squall liked insightful Laguna…when he wasn't being insightful with _him. _When he thought about it, _everyone _was getting on his case as of late. Squall only hoped that _this _Laguna was only around until the problem with Rinoa's break-up calmed down. It was hard enough treading on eggshells with Julia giving him apprehensive looks every now and then (though he still hoped it wasn't what he thought to believe).

With a firm nod, Laguna asked Squall, "Well I guess that makes sense. Anyways, you should come down and eat too. We can try feeding Rinoa later. How's that?"

Squall stared at his father for a moment before shaking his head. He started walking towards his room as he mumbled, "I don't feel like it at the moment…"

"Oh… Well okay," Laguna sadly replied.

Squall walked solemnly towards his room, having to pass Rinoa's door on the way. He gazed at her door and could still hear Rinoa crying. Squall tightened a fist and bit his bottom lip, but continued to his room. How could _he _eat when Rinoa couldn't? Squall felt too much guilt to stomach down food. If she was going to suffer…then so would he. That was the domino effect he forced himself to share with her because he loved her.

[][][][][][][][]

For the rest of the afternoon, Squall stayed in his bedroom…doing absolutely nothing. He had thought about doing homework to pass the time, but then he remembered he stayed home today because he was worried about Rinoa. Quistis had told him yesterday that Selphie had tried calling Rinoa's cell phone in hopes of holding a sleepover to take Rinoa's mind off of "boy troubles." Rinoa's answer? She ignored – actually _ignored _– one of her best friend's invitations! However, to be fair, the raven haired girl had been ignoring _everyone__'__s _messages. Rinoa hadn't left her room for almost…three days now? Yes; that's right. It had been three days since the raven haired girl's break-up with the blond and she had yet to show any signs of making a "healthy" recovery.

…Oh Hyne dammit, he was thinking about her _again._

Groaning, Squall threw the rubber ball he was lethargically tossing in the air towards his bedroom door. Unintentionally, Laguna decided at that time to walk into his room and the rubber ball smacked him square in the face. Squall immediately sat up from his bed as Laguna crouched down to his knees while throwing a hand up to cover his face. Laguna let out a short wince and Squall watched as the ball bounced on the ground before rolling under his bed. He knew it was his fault, but Squall couldn't help but scold, "See? _This _is the reason why I'm always telling you to _knock!"_

In response, all Laguna did was laugh as if his pain wasn't much of a problem. He grinned up at Squall from his kneeling position – a faint red mark visibly between his eyebrows – and joked, "Well hey! At least I know you have a good arm. If you want, I have connections with the sports manager of—"

"What do you want, Dad?" Squall cut in with a deadpan tone. Laguna was rambling again and that usually meant he was nervous. However, whatever his father was never about… Squall had no idea.

"Ah, right!" Laguna cleared his throat, straightened his back, and dusted off his formal suit… Wait, why was he dressed so nicely? Didn't Laguna hate dressing so formally? He was always complaining about it to Squall or Julia or anyone who was within earshot. Laguna brought Squall back from his thoughts with a reply, "Listen, I'm planning on taking Jules out for the evening. She's been really stressed lately and I think it's from all this drama surrounding Rinoa. I know she wants to be there for her daughter, but I'm a little worried about Julia, too."

This caught Squall's attention and he stood up from his bed to properly face the older man. Scratching the back of his head, Squall asked nervously, "What's wrong with Julia?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but she's gotten…paler these past few days. Also, I don't think she's been following her own advice and feeding herself," Laguna answered with a cross of his arms. "Again, I really think it's just the stress of Rinoa's problems, but I really want her to relax. That's why I'm taking her out tonight."

Squall nodded in understanding. Wanting to play his part, the brunet questioned, "Okay. What do you want me to do?"

"…Could you watch over Rinoa while we're gone?"

His eyes widened in bewilderment. _Him? _Watch _Rinoa? _Didn't Laguna _hear _their argument earlier today? Laguna _was _the one who pointed that out to him after all. Squall stared at his father's emerald green eyes for a moment longer, seeing no traces of a joke or mistake in the older man's face. Laguna was being _austere _with his request.

Shaking his head, Squall trotted back to his bed while running a hand through his hair. Well sure, Squall _wanted _to take care of Rinoa, but she wouldn't _let him. _Sighing, Squall looked over his shoulder to address his father, "Are you serious? Rinoa doesn't want to talk to me."

"So she doesn't want to talk to you," Laguna brushed off with a shrug. "That doesn't mean you _can't _take care of her."

The brunet gave his father a dumbfounded expression. The man standing before him was seriously _dense. _"Dad, Rinoa _does not _want to speak with me. That includes being near her, sharing the same room as her, and indefinitely, breathing the same _air _as her. How am I supposed to take care of her like _that?"_

It was surprising to Squall that his father had yet to be put off by what he said. Usually, Laguna would be scratching the back of his head or twiddling his thumbs together; but not this time. Laguna merely stared at his son evenly – back straight and head held high in firm resolute – as he continued to remain quiet. Weird… Squall was actually getting _nervous _with his father adopting a posture that called for him to be taken seriously. Soon enough, Laguna relaxed his stance and smiled calmly; his eyes twinkling with amusement. Walking up to Squall, the man placed a firm hand on the brunet's shoulder and replied gently, "Squall, she _needs _you."

_What? _Squall blinked in confusion.

Laguna chuckled a little and expanded on his answer, "Rinoa's hiding away, sure, but she still needs _you. _You're her closest friend and confidante. She can say as much as she wants how she doesn't want to see you, but deep down, Rinoa _does _want to see you more than anything. She's just scared about facing you. And here's the kicker: _you're _afraid of seeing her too."

"I'm not…" Squall trailed off, lowering his gaze to the floor unconsciously. Was he afraid to see Rinoa?

"Actually you are." Laguna nodded. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have vehemently denied to taking care of her… Even if your reasons are kinda true. But ya know, Squall, I've seen you around Rinoa for the last eight years. You two are as thick as thieves! Not seeing you two helping each other out is like me becoming the President of Esthar. It'll _never _happen. So I guess what I'm saying is…don't give up on her. She'll come around to you."

"Dad…" He couldn't help but look up at the man who took a hand in raising him. This was just one of those rare moments where Squall would actually be in-sync with his father. Yes, they clashed on just about anything, but…Hyne how they understood each other on common ground. Offering a slight smile in admiration for his efforts, Squall nodded. Maybe he was afraid of really confronting Rinoa, but he needed to get through to her; _help _her remedy her situation. To him, she was all that mattered right now. "Thanks, Dad."

Laguna let a boyish grin grace his face. "Anytime! Besides, Jules needs the relaxation too and let go once in a while. What's that saying… _Sei Kero Kero!"_

…_There _was the Laguna Squall knew! The brunet corrected, hiding an entertained smirk. "You mean _Que Sera Sera?"_

Laguna flinched and scratched the back of his head. "Uh…yeah that."

Shaking his head, Squall sighed and looked to the side, speaking in an amused tone, "Always the eloquent one…"

There was a brief moment of awkward silence between them.

"…What?" Squall asked when Laguna continued to stare at him.

The older man slowly smiled and shook his head happily. "Nothing." Laguna started to make his way to the door and chuckled under his breath. Squall was a little confused by his behavior until Laguna's reaction dawned on him. Laguna… He just couldn't stop being "Laguna."

Leaning back on his bed using the back of his palms as support, Squall asked before Laguna could leave entirely, "Mom knew just the right things to say in a situation like this…huh?"

Laguna remained at the doorway before letting out, a smile very much apparent in his voice, "Yup. I'm just repeating what your mother told me when I got insecure about the beginnings of our relationship together."

Squall closed his eyes with a hum and he heard the clicking sound of his door closing. Falling back on his bed, Squall contemplated about the advice his father gave him. Picking up the pieces with Rinoa… Even if it didn't lead to things Squall would have liked, if Rinoa could smile happily again, then he would take that as an accomplishment in and of itself. Her smile was truly better than nothing at all. Funny how Squall got that kind of advice from _Laguna_ of all people. Maybe he and Laguna _did _have that weird "father-son" relationship similar to those "mother-daughter" ones…

Sitting up, Squall tilted his head in puzzlement, _"The beginnings of our relationship_…?" _What does Dad mean…by that?_

[][][][][][][][]

Squall lazily sat along the length of the couch, his sock-covered feet settling on top of the armrest while his head rested on one of the cushions with his right arm holding it in place. Squall held his cell phone above his face as he stared at his screen in a trance. There was only one message staring back at him, but ironically enough, it wasn't _really _a message:

_No New Messages_

He frowned before closing his phone for the umpteenth time. Still no reply from Rinoa. It was childish, but Squall assumed if he couldn't talk to Rinoa _directly…_then why not through text messaging? …Okay, so the idea was stupid, but Squall didn't want to risk having Rinoa snap at him again and he, in turn, snapping back. He just wished Rinoa would open up! She couldn't stay in that room forever! It'd been three hours since Laguna left with Julia for that fancy restaurant in the quaint part of the city, but come on! Didn't Rinoa need to use the washroom? She couldn't hold in all that water forever…

_What water? She's not eating idiot, _Squall mentally berated himself before rolling his eyes. Great. He was talking to himself now from the lack of communication…

Communication…

Suddenly an idea hit Squall and he seriously had to wonder where his brain had wandered off to during the time he was mauling for a way to get Rinoa out of her room. Flipping his phone open again, Squall typed another text-message, but this time, it wasn't being sent to Rinoa. He had contemplated on sending it to Seifer, but Rinoa knew that Seifer knew about them. The same reasoning went with Tifa if he decided to text her. And Cloud…well, Squall didn't have his number and it would've been plain stupid to text him anyway. Rinoa just broke up with him, so Squall had to go with someone completely oblivious to everything; someone unaware of what was really happening between him and Rinoa; and someone who wouldn't ask that many questions and could instantly get distracted with something else…

Zell.

Squall sent his text message which read:

_"Call my house number now. Don't ask questions._  
_- Squall"_

Standing up, Squall made his way to the phone just by the staircase and waited. After another minute passed, the house phone started ringing. Squall didn't hesitate to pick up the phone from its receiver.

_"Hey, Squall, what the heck? Why'd you want me to call your house number when your cell phone is working perfectly fine?" _Zell asked on the other side of the line. From how he sounded, Zell seemed really busy. Too bad Squall didn't care at the moment. This was only going to take two minutes tops.

"Zell. What is it?" Squall replied, ignoring the blond's concerns. He turned his back on the staircase and started pacing forward a little. "Why didn't you call my cell?"

Zell – in his right mind – questioned, _"__Um… What?"_

Squall continued regardless, "Oh. Yeah it was off. Sorry."

"_Hey, Squall…"_

"No… I don't think Selphie gave me Rinoa's math homework…"

"_Wait, wait, wait! What the heck are you talking about? Selphie? Squall__—"_Zell attempted again.

The brunet only rolled his eyes, ignoring the blond's blabbering. He stopped walking and crossed his arms, holding the phone against his ear. Squall acted out in an unwilling manner, "What? But I can't go out—"

"_SQUALL!"_

"—Rinoa's going to be home alone if I do that," Squall retorted with a shake of his head. He hoped Zell would stay on the phone just a little bit longer. He let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead. "Fine. But I'm not sticking around…especially if Seifer's going to be probing me all day…"

Zell screeched then, _"__What. The. HELL? Squall! Talk _sense_ for crying out loud! What the hell does _Seifer _have to do with anything? WHY THE HELL DID YOU CALL ME?"_

"Rinoa can't go, Zell. She's still…sulking…"

"_What the fu__—"_

"Okay, fine." Squall sighed again, making a beeline for the jacket closet. He shifted through all the jackets before pulling out a dark blue zip-up hoodie and throwing it on; shifting the phone in each of his hands as he kept talking, "I'll be there in a few minutes."

Zell all but sighed at this point; very much ready to explode. _"__Squall! I swear to Hyne__—__!"_

"Oh and Zell?" Squall had to spare a smirk at this point. He replied, "Thanks."

"_What the hell for?" _Zell retorted, _"__Squall__—"_

The brunet ended the call and replaced the phone on the receiver. He looked up towards the staircase for a moment before sighing. He was really hoping this was going to work. Squall walked over to the front door, unlocked it, and opened it. However, instead of stepping outside, Squall closed it shut with a loud slam and locked the door again. Turning his back on the door, Squall leaned against it and waited.

Rinoa _had _to come down now. She _had _to believe she was the only one left in the house now. Even though the blond played an unsuspecting victim, Zell actually played a big part in the act Squall was rolling out. Rinoa had a landline phone in her room and it had caller ID. It was probably sometime last year that Rinoa had asked Laguna if she could have a landline phone in her room. The reason? Because Squall had been in Galbadia studying abroad and Rinoa wanted to keep in contact with him. He could still remember how excited Rinoa was when she first told him about that a long time ago.

But anyways…

Rinoa had a phone in her room with caller ID which meant she would truly believe Zell called, thus giving Squall an alibi. Squall had basically created the biggest lie of his life right now. He wouldn't be going out; he wouldn't be seeing anyone and leaving Rinoa in the house by herself…but Rinoa didn't know that. If Squall thought right, Rinoa had probably checked the phone to see if Squall was lying. And as another precaution, Squall had gone so far as to act out how he would to a call if Rinoa decided to play witness to his actions. Knowing her, she was definitely paranoid and adamant about not seeing him. But dammit, they needed to talk. Rinoa was being stubborn and if she wanted to be stubborn, Squall would be even _more _stubborn.

So he waited quietly. Squall folded his arms across his chest and waited. It was already past six o'clock… Rinoa _had _to be hungry at this point. With her thinking no one was in the house, of course she would sneak out of her prison for a snack.

_Click._

_Here we go… _Squall took in a deep breath, preparing himself for what was to come. Luckily he was still standing in the entryway; it was a blind spot for people coming down the staircase. Squall could hear Rinoa's footsteps walking slowly and cautiously throughout the hallway and his pulse quickened with every passing moment.

Although he _did _want to speak with Rinoa so _badly… _He was still worried about what to say or what to do. Rinoa was certainly not going to be happy with him pulling this stunt; she would probably make a run for her room. What if she ignored everything he would say to her? What if she told him she absolutely hated him for a second time? Squall was still insecure about how to handle all of these "what-ifs" but… he just wanted his Rinoa back.

Hearing the cupboards in the kitchen swinging open and plates clanking against each other, Squall closed his eyes and took another deep breath. This was his moment of truth. This was his chance to confront Rinoa before either of their parents came home from their outing. Pushing himself off the door, Squall quietly walked towards the kitchen. Since there was only one way in the kitchen, he would be blocking the only way out.

Squall looked into the kitchen and he swore he stopped breathing. There in the kitchen with her back facing him stood Rinoa. She was busying herself by scouring the fridge and stove top for anything to eat. Julia did in fact leave something for Rinoa to eat in the microwave, but Squall refrained from saying anything yet. He could only watch her; taking in her sight from not having seen her in a while. Rinoa was wearing grey sweatpants and a black tee with her hair looking slightly unkempt. From how she appeared, Rinoa didn't care about her looks at present; especially since she believed she was _alone. _But none of that mattered to Squall… She still looked perfect to him.

_Now or never, _Squall sighed to himself as he leaned against the entrance of the kitchen. "It's in the microwave."

Rinoa gasped loudly with a jump and quickly turned around, hands holding the countertop as her eyes widened at the sight of him. Squall only stared back evenly without moving. Rinoa breathed in deeply a few times before narrowing her dark brown eyes at him and turning away. They stood silent for another moment before she harshly whispered, "Weren't you suppose to go _out?"_

"So you heard that call," Squall said in more of a statement than a question.

"_Why _are you _here?"_ Rinoa continued questioning, slightly looking over her shoulder and through the bangs framing her face.

Squall's steel blue eyes didn't leave her figure for a moment. "I'm here for _you."_

Another moment of silence passed by them.

Rinoa threw all her attention forward, casually digging her hand through the utensil drawer. Suddenly, Squall saw Rinoa's shoulders shaking somewhat and she let out a small but audible noise. Concerned, he took one step forward before stopping after being taken aback that Rinoa was _giggling._ It really threw off his preparation big time. Why was Rinoa _laughing? _

"…Rinoa—" Squall began only to get cut off when Rinoa closed the utensil drawer shut with a loud smack.

"For _me? _Oh Squall…you _really _shouldn't have!" Rinoa giggled with a voice so sickly sweet.

She turned around then with a dark smile upon her face and Squall knew he had to be careful around her. Rinoa leaned against the counter a little and brushed her bangs out of her face, giving Squall the chance to really look at her. Her face was the depiction of stress; her usually bright orbs were now red, small dark circles appeared under her eyes, and the area surrounding it was puffy from excessive crying. Stress lines had started making their way to Rinoa's forehead and it broke Squall heart seeing her in such a state.

Rinoa hummed while nodding her head. "Hmm…for me. Everything you ever do is for my sake huh? That's so sweet…"

"Rinoa," Squall tried again with a firm tone. He wanted to reach her, but how could he when she was falling back on such a defense mechanism?

"It's so sweet," Rinoa continued, pretending that Squall hadn't interrupted her, "that I _hate _it. I don't want _any _of it! Nothing from you! Take it all back, I don't _care!"_

He watched as Rinoa started glaring harshly at him with ever word she threw at him. Squall blinked before keeping his face stoic. He told himself that she was only lashing out in anger now. This was something he was going to have to take in stride. Let her shout it all out, have her calm down, and then try talking to her again.

Rinoa pointed to him in accusation and cried out, "That! I _hate _that! Putting your poker face on whenever someone calls you out! Well guess what Squall? I'm not playing your mind games! You can take it, and _shove it." _Rinoa huffed with a shake of her head and looked away. Letting out a rough sigh, she began making her way towards the entrance. "I'm done here. I'm not hungry anymore."

Even though Squall let her walk out the kitchen, he followed her, he refused to let her go back upstairs and into her bedroom; her shield away from the world. Squall quickly took hold of Rinoa's right wrist and effectively stopped her from taking even one step up the stairs. He firmly stated, "We need to talk."

"Let _go _of me!" Rinoa struggled, violently pulling her wrist away, but in the process, moving herself further from the staircase. Squall took full advantage of this and stood in front of the staircase to prevent Rinoa from escaping. He frowned at her, but she only glowered back. Rinoa let out a frustrated growl and turned away from him. "You're so…! UGH! Leave me the hell _alone, _Squall! I want my space!"

He had to let out a sardonic chuckle as he retorted, "Space? You want space? Rinoa, you've had your space for three _days _now. If I didn't know you better, I would think you were turning into a hermit."

"You have no right to criticize me!" Rinoa shot back, shaking in her spot. "You wanna know why I'm hiding out in my room? Because if I _ever _stepped out of it, I'd have to deal with you and your _uppity _attitude getting into my business!"

Squall squared his forehead. She honestly thought he was prying? Hell no. He just wanted to help and comfort her. Why couldn't she understand that? This wasn't something he took sick pleasure in! There was nothing sadistic on his end on wanting to help her cope with her break-up with Cloud. Squall honestly wanted to be there for her and Rinoa was twisting his help into something else.

As calm as he could, the brunet replied, "Rinoa, I just don't want to see you holing up in your room. I want to _help _you. I hate seeing you like this! It's unlike you."

"Unlike me? Unlike _me?" _Rinoa scoffed, pointing at herself with her hand. She gave out a disgusted look and retorted sarcastically, "Oh I'm sorry. I didn't realize I looked like a charity case to you! Well forgive me, Squall, for not being 'honorable' and 'holier-than-thou.'"

"Dammit, Rinoa!" Squall blurted out, feeling his own frustrations rising, "Will you _stop _acting like a child and talk to me seriously?"

Rinoa covered her ears and shook her head. "I don't hear you! Just leave me _alone!" _She started walking away from him towards the living room.

Tightening a fist and letting out a sharp exhale, Squall quickly followed behind Rinoa and grabbed her right upper arm. His patience was beginning to wear thin. "Rinoa, will you just stop—"

_SMACK!_

Suddenly his left cheek started to sting and felt hot. Heck, he wasn't even looking at Rinoa anymore; he was looking to his right. Rinoa had just smacked him without hesitation! …Okay, maybe he deserved it for bugging her so much right now, but there was a _reason _he was! Slowly, he turned his gaze back at Rinoa. She watched him carefully as she slowly backed away while _still _scowling at him. He didn't want to admit it, but Squall was impressed that she felt no remorse in that slap.

Staring at each other, Squall felt like the room dropped in temperature. It was getting cold… and that was because of the rift between him and Rinoa.

"You want to talk?" Rinoa asked, her voice increasing in volume as she stood at one end of the room. She spread out her arms and glowered. "Then let's talk! I didn't want _anything _to do with your feelings, Squall!"

This suddenly started getting out of hand. She was turning her anger on him – which should be right – but she was _still _questioning his feelings? Dammit all to _hell. _How could she still be _denying _him after everything that's happened? Not even a little bit of acknowledgement? Not even a small show of sympathy and understanding? Hell, Squall wouldn't care if Rinoa didn't want to bring up his feelings for her at this moment, but to call him out on itlike that? Rinoa could be angry at him all she wanted, but this was just _one _aspect which he would not let slide.

"You want me to be honest?" Squall retorted, his voice becoming cold and unfeeling, "Alright, I'll be honest. I didn't _want _you to know about my feelings."

"Then _why _did you _tell _me?" Rinoa snapped back in a loud hiss. She bunched her hair in her hands before dropping her hands to her chest. _"__Why _did you tell me about your feelings if you were just going to cause _this _between us?"

Squall shook his head and let out a bitter laugh. Placing one hand on his hip and the other to pinch the bridge of his nose, Squall replied lamely, "For Hyne's sake, Rinoa. You have to fricken _ask? Maybe _it's because you decided to let _yourself _have feelings for Cloud!"

Rinoa smiled maliciously. "Ohhh! So you call him '_Cloud__'_now? Why? Because I'm not _dating _him anymore? Because he _dumped _me, he's off your 'hate list?' That's a _real _good reason to start calling him by his name now, huh?"

"Don't turn this around on _me," _Squall rebuked with a narrow of his eyes. Taking a step forward, Squall pointed at Rinoa and accused, "You and I _both _know it was your feelings that caused this hell of a mess right now."

"_My _feelings? Squall! I can't _help_ who I fall in love with!"

"Well here's the truth, Rinoa: I couldn't help myself either when I fell for _you,"_ Squall answered evenly, sneering at her. "If I had known we were going to become stepsiblings, I would've never become attached to you in the _first _place. You shouldn't have been there at my Mother's resting place when we first met. Hell, you shouldn't have even bothered to cheer me up when you saw me! Maybe then I wouldn't have fallen for you or at least started the beginnings of falling in love with you."

…What was he saying?

"These feelings I've kept for you, I wish I could've changed them too—"

That wasn't true!

"Maybe then you and I could've just grown up as estranged stepsiblings—"

It was _never _true!

"But that wasn't the case and because of it, all I can ever think about is _you _and it's starting to make _me _sick!" Squall blurted out, not caring if his aggravation was starting to show. A part of him was tired of fighting her, fighting _for _her in the hopes that she could love him back. But another part of himself… dammit he hated this part of himself! He just couldn't let go of Rinoa! He was chained to her as if destiny had a sick way of twisting his life into one big melodrama just so he suffered! Without thinking, he shouted, "If I had known you were just going to be a problem with no answer, I would have _never _fallen in love with you!"

Rinoa flinched a little before continuing to stare at him evenly without backing down. Squall did the same thing; his eyes never leaving hers as he heavily panted after his unintentional rant. Silence filled the room and only the ticking of the clock made up for the lack of sound besides the harsh breathing of the teenagers in a standstill.

"…This is all your fault, Squall!" Rinoa shouted after a while, pointing a finger at the brunet. Her eyes were brimming over with angry tears. "Everything that's happened! It's all your fault!"

Squall could only retaliate just as harshly from the other end of the room. He scoffed indignantly, "My fault? Oh please, Rinoa. Grow up! I wouldn't blame Cloud for leaving you. He had a pretty good reason too. In fact, I'm happy he left you miserable!"

Of course Squall didn't mean that. He never wanted to see Rinoa in so much distress, but that one part of him couldn't help but laugh at her disarray. For all the years that he suffered for loving Rinoa, this small moment in his life where Rinoa was in such depression made his suffering feel like karma had been dealt.

And he hated it. He hated the feeling that somewhere deep within the recesses of his heart that he was actually enjoying Rinoa's torment. It made Squall feel so dirty for actually liking it. He hated himself for causing Rinoa to suffer so painfully. He knew very well that he was the cause of her sadness and frustrations. It was his longing for her that was destroying her innocence right before his eyes. And he hated it.

Rinoa's hands balled up into fists as she growled out, "Damn you, Squall! You're so…so heartless!"

Squall could only look away. His anger somewhat dissipated and what was left of him was the guilt. His front still showed that he was mad, but inside he was falling apart with every hateful word Rinoa threw at him.

…But he accepted them. He would rather she lashed out at him than keeping her feelings to herself in self-loathing for the break-up with Cloud. He would become a martyr for her sake; always for her sake.

"I hate you…" Rinoa whispered quietly. Squall dared to look at her and his heart twisted at the sight. She looked utterly defeated. Her hair was a mess, her face was contorted in anger, and her eyes red from the hot tears still running down her face. Rinoa's shaken fragile form…it made Squall want to hold her in his arms until she would stop crying. But he knew he could never do that; he wasn't worthy enough for her to do that.

Rinoa repeated to herself as she took small steps back before turning away from Squall's scrutinizing gaze, "I hate you…I hate…this feeling. Everything… It's so tiring."

Squall still remained quiet. He looked down at his feet, his knuckles whitening as he tightened the fists by his side.

"Loving you…I hate it…"

The brunet's head snapped up as he glanced at Rinoa in confusion. Loving him? Did she mean by loving him like the brother she took him to be? Or…something else?

Rinoa turned around, a newfound frustration on her face. She shouted at Squall again, letting everything out, "Loving you is so damn _hard!_ Hyne, Squall! It's impossible with you! Everything _is _with _you!_ Cloud— Cloud… Do you know what he told me? That day we broke up? He told me that I was substituting him for someone else. Someone else, Squall!

"Who the hell would I be substituting Cloud for? He was perfect! He was a gentleman; he was kind; he was caring. Hell! I'll even go as far to say his body was a plus! Why in the world would he ever say I was _substituting _him? It doesn't make sense! And you know what? He thought I was only using him. Using _him_ because I couldn't have _you!"_

Squall continued to stare at her, _…__Me?_

Rinoa continued her rant, no longer paying attention to Squall as she covered her face in frustration. "You Squall! His words were all pointing towards _you!_ He broke up with me because he thought I wanted you all along!"

Squall turned his head away. He knew he was the cause of the break-up, but hearing the venom in Rinoa's words just made him feel worse about himself. However…this confession of hers was strange. Squall slowly gazed at Rinoa again when she started pacing a little in her spot; so engrossed with her rant.

She continued, her tone becoming more solemn and guilt-ridden, "…I don't know what to think. It's been…it's been the _only_ thing that swirled in my head… Cloud's words… Dammit, I got _rid _of those feelings long ago! They shouldn't even exist anymore!"

Slowly, Squall started really listening to her…and he started making his way towards her.

"That day in Winhill after we were introduced by our parents, I placed my mother's happiness before my own. She found happiness again with Laguna and I didn't want to take that away from her. So I threw away any sort of feelings I had for you! I did, but…"

Rinoa had turned her back on Squall and it gave him the motivation to continuing approaching her. The brunet's heart just wouldn't stop hammering against his chest. She was so close now… So vulnerable…

The raven haired girl continued as she hugged herself, "But I guess my feelings never went away… Going out with all those boys…I guess I was trying to find someone to replace that feeling in my heart. None of them were able to do it, but then Cloud came along…and he was perfect!"

All Squall could think about now was Rinoa, how he loved her, and how he would give _anything _just to make her happy again.

"I really believed he could save me from that feeling deep within my heart. He made me feel…normal again. He helped me erase all my doubts, but then he told me I was substituting him for someone else. He was right… No matter how different he appeared to be, Cloud was the perfect example of you…" Rinoa shuddered a breath and hugged herself tighter. She started shaking in anger again and she turned around to yell at Squall once more, "That damn feeling never went away! Cloud made me realize that it only grew more twisted as I grew up. And I hate it! I hate that feeling! I hate you, Squall! I wish I never fell in love with y—"

It was then that Rinoa was cut off by forceful lips crushing against hers. In surprise, she backed up against the wall and felt the brunet pressing himself up against her. Rinoa tried to push herself away from Squall by beating her fists against his chest, but he grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the sides of her head against the wall. She was completely defenseless against Squall's advances.

When they broke away to breath, Rinoa breathlessly whispered, "Squall—"

She was cut off when Squall went for her lips again. He was still forceful in his approach – loosening his hold on her wrists – but pressed with more care this time.

Squall didn't want it to end; he was at his limit. His mind went blank before kissing her the first time, but he had no regrets. Squall wanted more than anything for Rinoa to feel how much he loved her through this kiss. He knew it would have to end, but Squall at least wanted to convey the extent of his feelings to Rinoa.

However he was in the wrong for showing it this way and he knew it.

The brunet finally broke away from Rinoa completely and gazed at her. Rinoa's eyes were dazed and she was panting heavily, most likely out of confusion. She stared back at him quietly as Squall bit his bottom lip. He was about to turn away, but something unexpected came to pass.

Threading her fingers into his hair, Rinoa bought Squall's face down to hers for another kiss.


End file.
